A Million Fragments Of You And Me
by itsnotaboutlove
Summary: We're meant to be. A series of one-shots with Pike and his lady. Spin-off from Snapshots Of A Life. Read & Review please!
1. Twinkle

**Hello my trusty readers! I decided to create another story- yes add it to the list- to my collection. After writing my newest one shot **_**Snapshots Of A Life, **_**I decided to do a series of OS's with my characters from that piece. So each chapter will be a OS, not in order of the timeline, and hopefully it'll be a hit!**

_Twinkle_

Christopher made his way through the lower level of the house, as the music from the living room filled the air. A few boxes were strewn about in the hallway, along with shopping bags from the store. He chuckled to himself, taking in the mess that was left behind in the wake of the hurricane. One that situated itself in his living room since the late afternoon. Glancing into the large space of his home, Christopher leaned against the doorway and watched as the woman stood on her toes in front of the large tree by the window.

"Just hear those sleigh bells jingle-ing. Ring ting tingle-ing too," Amelia sang along to the music, as she fiddled with the strands of lights.

Watson sat on the floor near the coffee table, pawing at the strand of white lights, as the young woman untangled them.

She smiled at the dog and reached out to scratch his head, "Come on, it's lovely weather for a sleigh ride together with you,"

Watson barked, his tail thumping against the carpet as Amelia continued wrapping the lights through the branches, her arms growing tired from reaching so high. Christopher made his way from the doorway and into the room, sneaking quietly up behind her. Just as the lights became tangled in the tree branch, he wrapped his arms around her waist, making her jump. Looking over her shoulder, Amelia smiled and let out a breathless laugh.

"Need some help?" he asked, glancing up at the tangled wires and brightly lit blubs.

Amelia smiled and nodded, "Please?" she asked.

Stepping around her, Chris reached up and managed to untangle the strand of lights, weaving them through the branches. Amelia took a step back and watched as he made his way around the tree, wrapping the white lights around the top. On of the many advantages of dating a man who was taller than you, their height difference was one of the best. She snapped out of her daydream when he stood before her, holding the remains of the lights out to her.

"Do you want to finish the rest?" he asked, as she blinked.

Amelia tore her eyes of his and looked at the tree standing in front of his window, the lights wrapped around half the tree. They looked like little stars, captured from the black sky and tied to endless strands of green wires, wrapped around their tree.

"Sure," she replied, taking the lights from him.

"I'll bring in the rest of the stuff you brought over," he said, kissing the side of her head.

She watched as he disappeared into the hallway smiling to herself, as he shuffled through the bags of decorations she bought. Turning back to the tree, she moved quickly, wanting to finish the tree before bedtime. It would be their first Christmas together as a couple, having only been dating for six months. While neither had plans for the upcoming holiday, with both fall terms ending at their respected jobs, it was in the second week of December that they decided to celebrate it together.

Once the lights were done, Amelia lowered the music and made her way over to the coffee table, collecting the trash.

"Did you buy out the whole store?" Chris asked, as he came back with several shopping bags in his hands.

She smiled, "I didn't know what to buy. The last time I celebrated Christmas was four years ago, at my sisters house in Denver," she said, taking a few bags from him.

He settled the rest of the bags onto the table and started removing the boxes of ornaments, all in a variety of colors and shapes.

"Besides, I wanted to get everything and be here as fast as possible. I nearly skipped through the parking lot at the school today," she said, opening a box of green and blue stars.

Chris snorted, "I bet the kids liked that,"

Amelia moved to the tree and started placing the ornaments onto the branches, spacing them out as she went. The lights twinkled against the glass of the stars, breaking the color out into a kaleidoscope among the branches. As the tree came together, with more ornaments, garland and bows, Amelia felt herself getting into the holiday cheer. Even though it took almost the entire month to get into the spirit, she was glad that the feeling came at all.

Two hours later, a bottle of wine, and dimmed lights, Amelia and Chris found themselves on the couch staring at their tree. Watson lounged at their feet, with his trustworthy chew toy at his side. They shared a heavy blanket, which sat across their laps, as the temperature dropped to the fifties outside.

"I think we did good," Amelia said, taking a sip from her glass.

Chris wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer to his side, "You did good. This tree is all you," he said, waving his other hand at it.

Amelia looked up at him and smirked, "It's both of us," she said, reaching out for the half eaten candy cane. "I made sure to put enough blue and candy canes on those branches," she said, popping the minty treat into her mouth.

He chuckled, "There's a lot going on in that tree," he said, nodding to the empty boxes and plastic ornament holders that now littered his coffee table and floor.

She glanced at them and shrugged, "We could always get another tree next year," she said, twirling the candy cane around.

"Next year?" he asked, looking at her.

She blushed and averted her eyes from his, the candy cane still in her mouth. A few minutes later, she turned her head and managed a small smile.

"Or we could just throw them out once the holiday is over," she offered, shrugging.

Chris leaned forward and placed his lips on hers, taking in the taste peppermint and wine from her lips. Amelia's hand wrapped around his neck, pulling him closer to her.

Breaking away from her lips, Chris rested his forehead against hers and sighed. "Next year we'll get a smaller tree,"

She smiled and her eyes twinkled like the white lights on their tree, "I love you," she whispered, before kissing him again.

"I love you, too,"

Wrapped up in each others arms, with the blanket keeping them warm, they both sat and watched as the lights twinkled in their eyes.


	2. Watson

_Watson_

Most men his age were already married with children, or in a relationship that lasted more than a few sex sessions. But for Christopher Pike, Captain of _Yorktown _and now professor and recruiter, relationships never happened. Sure, there were a few women here and there, during shore leave or when he came home from a long trip into the deep abyss of the twinkling sky. But they never stuck around long enough for him to come home to.

So after his first month home on Earth, he bought a dog. A puppy that is, a three month of Siberian Husky that caught his eye while taking a walk in town. The local pet shop had a pen filled with puppies in the window, yipping and rolling about in the shredded newspaper. The black and white puppy, with one blue eye, stood against the glass watching as the people moved by. His little tail wagged quickly, as he yipped at those who stopped to stare at him and his buddies.

Chris was enjoying his Saturday morning, walking through the town. After a long week of Command classes, he was glad to have two days to himself. The freshmen wore him out, asking endless questions that either made no sense or required no thought to really answer them. He was missing his ship badly along with the crew, but it was his choice to take a few years off and enjoy his time at home.

The last thing he ever thought of doing, was adding another member to his family. But when he heard the muffled yips and howling, he couldn't help but glance at the window of the pet store. He saw a few Golden Retriever puppies rolling around with a Beagle and a Pug. But it was the little Husky dog that kept it's place at the opposite end of the pen, standing up against the glass. When the puppy saw him, he began to bark at him as if Chris was an old friend. Without even realizing it, Chris found himself walking into the pet store and asking the saleswoman about the puppy.

Ten minutes and many credits later, Chris was standing in his kitchen watching as the puppy ran around, smelling everything. He put the food and water into the small dish and laid it on the floor, and watched as the puppy went to it.

"You have to eat," he said, as the puppy gave the dried food a sniff before walking away.

Chris watched as the puppy walked up to him, before siting at his feet, looking up at his new owner. With a sigh, Chris knelt down on the floor and gave the puppy a light pat on the head.

"What are we going to call you?" he asked, as the puppy licked his hand.

Chris thought back to all the names his friends gave their dogs, which were after celebrities or cartoon characters. The only pet he ever had was a rabbit that lived in his sisters' room named Floppy. The puppy barked before rolling around, wagging his tail at Chris.

"Sparky?" he asked.

The puppy's head cocked to the side as if he were asking "_Are you serious?" _

Chris laughed, "No? Hmm, let's see…" he pondered, watching as the dog sat quietly, watching him.

"Buddy?"

The puppy began to howl in what sounded like distaste and Chris sighed, "What the hell am I gonna call you? Can't call you dog! I can see how that'll go when I take you to the vet and they call you "Dog!" " he said, as the puppy continued to howl.

Chris sighed and thought some more, as the puppy went from howling to playing with the soft toy that Chris picked out before paying. He watched as the stuffed toy, shaped like a Starfleet tri-corder, squeaked as the puppy chewed on it.

"Watson,"

The squeaking stopped, as the Puppy looked up at him. Instantly, the toy fell from his mouth and he scrambled to his feet, rushing forward and jumping onto Chris' legs.

"You like that? Watson?" he asked, as the puppy nuzzled his arm with his wet nose. "You can be the Watson to my Sherlock- although I'm not as colorful as he is," he said, as Watson barked.

Standing up, Chris scooped the puppy up into his arms, and allowed his new companion to lick his face.

"Alright, Watson it is," he said, carrying him out the back door and into the yard.


	3. Princesses

_Princesses_

The early spring day was filled with shrieks, giggles and shouting. Two very young girls were running around the endless backyard, dressed in princess costumes, as their mother and father shouted from the patio.

"Isabella! Arianna! You're Uncle is here!"

The two blonde twins stopped in mid-run, their blue eyes wide and sparkling, before taking off towards the patio.

"Uncle Chris! Uncle Chris!" they both shrieked.

Chris laughed and knelt down, accepting the two girls into his arms and they held onto him tightly.

"There's my birthday girls!' he exclaimed, as they both giggled.

Isabella, the brave and blunt of the duo, turned her eyes to the woman that stood behind her Uncle.

"Who's she?"

"Isabella!"

Chris chuckled, "It's alright Liz," he said, as his sister frowned at the child. "Girls, this is Amelia," he said, standing up.

The twins watched as their Uncle wrapped his arm around the very slender waist of a tall brunette, who smiled shyly at them.

"You're really pretty," Arianna whispered, before her cheeks turned pink.

The adults laughed and Amelia smiled, "Thank you," she responded, looking at both girls. "Your Uncle Chris told me you two were beautiful, but my goodness- you both look like princesses!" she exclaimed.

Arianna giggled and covered her mouth with her hands, while Isabella just stared at her. Liz watched as her daughters took in the woman who'd captured her older brother's heart almost a year ago, and how Amelia interacted with them. Liz and her husband, Robert, had met the woman months before at a Starfleet party and were quickly wrapped up in her charming personality and understanding of Chris' life. To them, the young woman was certainly the perfect match for the Captain and told him everyday.

Arianna ran forward and tugged on Amelia's skirt, "Do you want to have a tea party? We got a tea set for our birthday!" she asked.

Amelia smiled and nodded, "Sure, I'd love to," she said, before shooting a look at her boyfriend and his sister.

"You go on, Mia. I think Robert needs help with the grill," she said, as Chris laughed.

"Can't have burnt burgers," he said.

"I heard that Pike!" Robert yelled, from the opposite end of the patio.

With a quick kiss, Amelia was pulled to the play table at the end of the yard, underneath the willow tree. Arianna placed her between a stuffed bear and a mermaid doll.

"Sir Nicolas and Princess Amiessina of Atlantis," she said, before picking up her play teapot.

"Oh," Amelia said with a slight nod, before taking the teacup from Arianna. "How do you do Sir Nicolas? Princess Amiessina?" she asked, putting on a faux English accent.

Arianna giggled as she sat down at the table across from Amelia, fiddling with the freshly cut daisies from the garden nearby. For an hour and a half, Amelia and the little girl spoke to each other and to the toys that sat around the table, while sipping from empty cups. Isabella watched from her playhouse across the yard, a frown on her face the entire time.

Once the food was ready, Chris went to collect the girls from their tea party. As he came up to the table, he saw that Amelia and Arianna were giggling into the plastic cups. Upon her head Amelia wore a crown of daisies crafted from a copper wire and ribbon.

"Ladies," he greeted them as he reached the table.

Amelia and Arianna looked up at him with smiles, "Hello Uncle Chris. Would you like tea?" Arianna asked.

He chuckled, "Maybe later, Ari. It's time to eat though," he said, causing the little girl to groan.

"But Sir Nicolas was just telling us about his time on Vulcan, when he brought gingersnaps and jellybeans!" she cried.

Amelia laughed, "We could always invite Sir Nicolas to come with us," she said, before turning to Chris. "If that's alright?" she asked, with a straight face despite the twinkle in her eye.

Chris smiled, "Ari, how about you and Sir Nicolas head up to the patio? I'll escort Amelia," he said, as the little girl stood up.

"She's Queen Amelia, Uncle Chris," she said, scooping the bear up into her arms.

Chris arched an eyebrow, "Oh? And does Queen Amelia have a King waiting for her in her kingdom?" he asked.

Arianna giggled, "Uncle Chris, Amelia is _your _Queen!" she said, before shaking her head.

They both watched as the little girl ran up towards the patio, talking loudly to the stuffed bear in her arms.

Chris then turned to Amelia and laughed, "Never a dull moment here," he said.

Amelia snorted, "No. But it's nice," she said from her spot at the small table.

Clearing his throat, Chris held out his hand and she glanced at it before looking up at him with a smile.

"Shall we your majesty?" he asked.

Reaching up, Amelia placed her hand into his and pushed herself off the chair.

Chris wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close. The crown of daisies slipped down her forehead as she moved, resting uncomfortably against her eyebrow. Reaching up, Chris pushed the crown up and laughed.

"It's a good look for you," he said, his eyes scanning her face.

She laughed, " Come on my darling king. We shant have our princesses waiting. Tis a pity to keep them waiting, " she said, smirking.

With a quick kiss, Chris took her by the hand and led her down the sloping hill towards the patio to join the party.


	4. Numb

_Numb_

The _Enterprise _began it's short trip to the base that circled above Earth, after the vicious attack that took place just hours before. The medical center onboard reeked of antiseptics and rubber gloves, which reminded Chris of a hospital. The thought of hospitals brought him back three weeks previously, when he stood at his wife's side, as she brought their child into the world.

_Andrew_

Chris closed his eyes, and pushed his head deeper into the pillows as he thought about his son. Only three weeks old. Brand new and waiting for him at home in his crib.

"How are you feeling?"

Chris lifted his head up and found McCoy standing at the foot of his bed, holding a PADD in one hand, a tricorder in the other.

"How do you think I feel, Doc?" he asked, his voice steely.

McCoy grumbled as he ran the tricorder over his legs, checking for any improvement. He then pulled the blankets down, and began prodding his feet and legs.

"Can you move your toes?" he asked, keeping his eyes on them as he spoke,

"No."

"Can you feel this?" he asked, touching his shin.

"No."

"What about t-"

"Dammit McCoy, I can't feel anything!" Chris snapped.

Leonard stood up and sighed, as he pulled the blankets back up and over his legs. He then pulled a chair up to his bedside and sat down, resting the PADD on his lap.

"We can fix this," he started, as Chris laughed bitterly.

"Can you?" he asked, staring the man down. "Can you really fix what Nero did to me? I have a wife and a baby at home, and she probably thinks we're dead. How the hell am I going to look her in the eye, when I tell her that I can't even walk or stand up to hug her? That now, on top of taking care of a newborn, she'll be taking care of me too?" he snapped.

Leonard shook his head, "Look, I get that your angry and upset. Shit, I would be too if I was in your position. But Amelia is a tough lady," he said, as Chris looked up at the ceiling. "Trust me, I've seen her when she's determined. Even Jim's scared of her," he said.

Chris managed a small smile and Leonard nodded, "It's going to be tough, Chris. I won't lie to ya and make it sound like it'll be an easy road to travel. You'll have days when you want to stay in bed and just watch life go by. Days when you feel like you wanna die and have it all end," he said.

Chris turned to look at the doctor, who despite his reputation with awful bedside manner, spoke in a soft but determined tone.

"I waited so long for someone like Amelia. Never though I'd find her to be honest," he said, looking down at his lap. "What if this is too much for her? A baby and a cripple for a husband?" he asked.

"There will be times when she'll get mad and frustrated. But that woman would be crazy to leave you. She didn't even give Jim a second glance when he met her," Leonard chuckled. "I think she's going to be an important part to your recovery."

Chris sighed, "I don't want to put this burden on her, McCoy," he said.

Leonard reached out and placed his hand on top of his, "That's why I'm going to help you," he said.

Chris frowned, "But you're going to be here with Kirk," he said, as Leonard nodded.

"I am. But I'll be the one putting your medical team together in San Francisco. I already started researching potential doctors and specialists. I am going to make damn sure that you're back on your feet in no time," he said, pulling up a few files on the PADD. "Would it be pushing it if I said my goal was to have you walkin' by the time your baby turns a year old?" he asked.

The older man shook his head, "Not at all," he said. "You think you could really do this? Get me back to what I was before this?" he asked, frowning.

Leonard shrugged, "I don't see why not. You're still young- Chris, forty-seven is not old- he said, as Chris rolled his eyes. "And you were in perfect shape before this and your medical record is probably the best I've seen," he said. "So yes, I think I can get you back to your oldself. Worse case scenario.. you'll probably use a cane or have a limp," he said.

"A cane? Jesus," Chris muttered.

"Who knows, Chris. Maybe Amelia would like the cane," he said, as he glanced up from the PADD.

Chris began to laugh, clutching his sides as he did so. It was so stupid to laugh when he was lying in a hospital bed on his ship, numb from the hips down as the doctor next to him promised to fix him up. He continued to laugh, holding back the tears and sobs that threatened to take over. At that moment, he wanted to be off the ship more than ever. He wanted to see his wife and his baby, and have them at his side. He just wanted his old life back, before everything went numb.


	5. Scars

_Scars_

When Amelia was a little girl, her mother told her that scars were the passage way to stories. The scar that ran down her left knee was a sad story, filled with years of pride and joy that was ripped from her hands. Amelia knew she wanted to be a ballerina ever since her parents took her to see the Nutcracker one year for Christmas. The graceful postures, the costumes, the music. Every emotion that came out on stage through the body drew Amelia in. She began at the age of five, taking lessons with a group of girls three nights a week after homework was completed. By nine, she enrolled in private lessons with a retired ballerina, famous for her theater work all over the world.

By thirteen, she was on stage with a company, traveling on the weekends for competitions and shows. She was so close to signing a contract to become a professional, dancing every night on stage in Paris. She managed to do what so little could do, turning a dream into a reality. A natural talent to dance across the stage on her toes, showing every single emotion through each twirl and pose. Amelia was going places and she couldn't wait to see her name in bright shining lights.

The dream all came to an end at sixteen, after a move went wrong and she destroyed her knee. Hours after surgery and fighting through the drugs, Amelia knew her dreams were over. She would never see her name in the bright lights, nor would she ever dance across the stage again. She suffered through two years of physical therapy, crying and screaming as each session went on. Anger ran through her veins, when her tattered shoes sat in the closet. All the hard work, time and money spent, meant nothing now.

"I am nothing without ballet! My life is over!" she would scream, as her mother and father tried to get her to move on.

When college began, she thought about becoming a dance teacher. The idea of teaching little girls the art of ballet made her happy, until she realized that without being able to dance there would be no point of teaching. So she settled on education, with a focus in History. She five years and endless nights in the library, and began teaching at the age of twenty-three.

The first time Chris saw the scar on knee, he knew there was a sad story behind it. They were lounging across the couch on a hot summer night, the windows wide open and the hot breeze rolling through the house. He ran his hand down her bare leg, and felt the indentation across her knee.

"What's this from?" he asked, as his fingers danced across the scar.

And she told him. About every single moment that led up to the end of her dancing career; how one move ruined it all.

"Now I have this ugly reminder of my failure," she said sadly.

Chris looked at her then brought his lips to her knee, and kissed the battered skin. "It's not a reminder of a failure. It's a reminder of your accomplishments. A story about who you were and who you are now," he said.

"And who am I now?" she asked, as she watched his fingers dance along her leg.

He smiled, "A beautiful woman who proved that she could do better than watch life go by," he said.

Years later, Amelia found herself looking at the scars that covered her husband's back. They ran down his spine in a faint line, though she could see them quiet clearly as they laid in bed at night. They were the result of torture of Nero and the hard work of Doctor Leonard McCoy. Some nights, long after Chris went to sleep, Amelia would keep the lamp on and look at the scar. He had others- on his knees and shins after endless surgeries to repair the damage to his nerves and muscles. But Leonard and his team of specialists always made sure to work hard to keep the scarring to a minimal.

One night, after Andrew was tucked in to his crib, Amelia climbed into bed next to her husband. He was laying on his side with is back to her, and she could see the scar staring back at her. Instead of keeping the light on, Amelia turned in off and scooted closer to him. She wrapped her arms around his waist and he placed his hands on hers.

"Is he sleeping?" he whispered, as she folded her body against his.

"Mmhmm."

"You sound sad," he said, the frown laced in his tone. "What's wrong?" he asked, trying to turn over.

But Amelia stopped him, "Don't," she said.

"Mia," he started, but her lips stopped him.

She kissed the thin line lightly, just like he did so many years ago to her, and lightly traced it with her fingers. After a few minutes, Chris turned over to look at her.

"Now we're the same. We both carry stories on our bodies," she whispered.

Chris pulled her close in the darkness and kissed her, not saying a single word. But Amelia knew that deep down, he agreed with her.


	6. Faith

_Faith_

Christopher Pike wasn't a man of religion or in believing in God or any religious figure. He and Amelia didn't marry in a church and they didn't baptize their son after he was born. While the injured and the families of those who perished during the attack on Vulcan prayed for a watchful eye, Christopher released his thoughts on a Starfleet registered shrink. The first six months was filled with intense physical therapy sessions that left him in near tears or completely exhausted. Amelia extended her maternity leave and added on an undisclosed amount of time off, just to take care of Andrew and to help around the house.

Feeling worthless and having thoughts that he couldn't bear to express towards his wife, Chris ended up calling Leonard one evening and telling him everything. While the doctor couldn't help, being that he was light-years away on a five-year mission, he did call upon a psychologist that owed him a favor and managed to get Chris in for weekly appointments.

"Are you sure you want to see a psychologist? I mean why can't you talk to me?" Amelia asked the next night as she made dinner.

"Because there are things that I can't tell you, Mia," he said, as Andrew sat in the baby carrier on the table.

Amelia looked over at him and nodded, "Oh.." she said softly, before turning back to the stove.

Chris sighed, "I want to tell you all these thoughts I have in my head, but it's just too much. I don't want to freak you out and make you worry," he said.

"I'm always worried, Chris. You could still be on the ship and I would always be worried," she said, turning around to face him. "That maternal instinct doesn't end with children, Chris. You're my husband. I'm allowed to be worried."

When Chris first met Dr. Cora Alyata, he was cold and distant. Her questions made him feel worse than he had already felt, and after each session he craved for a bottle of scotch to drown his miseries. When she suggested that Amelia should come and sit in on one of his sessions, he automatically said no.

"It's part of the healing process, Christopher," she would say.

So when Christopher brought it up one night as they got ready for bed, Amelia thought it was a great idea.

"I would like that," she said, as she fiddled with the baby monitor.

"It's going to be boring, Mia. You really don't want to sit there for an hour and thirty minutes," he said, trying to get her to back out.

"Chris, I'm going. We're in this together, remember?" she said, settling down for the night.

That Friday, Amelia and Chris arrived right on time for his weekly appointment. Amelia had been taken back at how young Cora was and would later comment on it, wondering if medical schools were giving degrees out to whoever showed up. The first twenty minutes consisted of Cora asking how his week went. About physical therapy and how he was doing with work. Then the questions were directed towards Amelia.

"So Amelia, how are you dealing with all of this?" Cora asked, a sunny smile plastered on her face.

Amelia glanced at her husband before turning back to the younger woman, "Fine.." she said.

"Fine?"

"Well would you like me to say that I'm not dealing with this?" Amelia asked.

"Mia.." Chris said softly, reaching out to take her hand.

Cora held her hands up, "All I'm asking is how you are dealing with this situation. I know you two have a baby, correct?" she asked.

Amelia nodded, "Yes, we do," she said.

"Then is it safe to say that you didn't sign up for all of this?" Cora asked.

Chris closed his eyes and shook his head, suppressing a groan as Amelia stared down the woman.

"Excuse me?" she hissed.

Chris knew that she was glaring and knew that Cora was in for a spat of her life.

"I'm sorry," Amelia said, laughing bitterly. "But it sounds like you're suggesting that I signed some type of application on how I wanted my marriage to play out," she said.

"Amelia, I know it's hard. Dealing with a baby and helping your husband with his injuries.." Cora started, before Amelia cut her off.

"Do you? Do you really know what it's like? Because I don't think you do."

"Mia do you want to step outside?" Chris asked, as his wife trembled in her seat.

"No. I don't. I am so sick of people trying to make me feel like I can't handle this! First my parents and my sister and now I have a shrink questioning what I _signed _up for when I married you, whatever the hell that means, and I can't stand it!" she shouted.

She then turned and looked at Cora, "I took a vow when I married Chris. In _sickness _ and _health. _Not "Until you become a victim of a freak alien attack and you had no control over and now you need to use a wheelchair". He could have any lungworm and I still wouldn't leave him!"

"Amelia I didn't m-" Cora started.

"It's hard. Yes and why shouldn't it be? When Doctor McCoy explained what happened I knew it would be a long road. Unfortunately this happened right after we had our baby, but I think I've handled everything quite well in the last six months," Amelia snapped.

Cora nodded, glancing down at the pad in her lap. "Alright. Moving on," she said, skimming her notes. "When was the last time you and Chris had an intimate session?" she asked.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Amelia asked with a scoff. She then turned to Chris, "What is going on here?" she asked.

"Amelia, she is just asking a question," he said, trying to calm her down.

Cora leaned forward in her seat, "It's just a question. The answers to these questions wont leave the room if that's what you're worried about," she said.

With a bitter laugh, Amelia shook her head at looked up at the ceiling. "Let's see, the last time I fucked my husband was two days before I pushed out a baby. So nearly seven months?"

"Jesus Amelia.." Chris groaned, covering his face with his hands.

"And is that a personal choice?" Cora asked.

Amelia stared at her, "I had a baby. It was a difficult labor and he practically ripped me apart. It took two months to recover instead of the six to seven weeks. Would you like me to send you my medical record?" she asked.

Chris sighed, "I think that's enough for today," he said.

Cora agreed and they said their goodbyes and went out to the car. The drive back to the house was silent and Chris debated on even starting a conversation. Amelia helped him out of the car and into the house before disappearing into the study. Chris was checking the answering machine when he heard Amelia shouting down the hall.

"_McCoy so help me god, I could KILL you right now!" _

Ten minutes later, Amelia returned from the office and announced that she would make lunch. Chris wheeled into the kitchen a few minutes later and watched as she sliced tomatoes with such force, which worried Chris.

"Any harder and the knife will go right through the cutting board," he said, as she stood with her back towards him.

She remained silent and continued slicing with said force, before grabbing the next victim from the dish.

"Mia, I'm sorry," he said.

Amelia set the knife down onto the counter, her head bowed down. "Do you really think that I hate this life? That I'm.. mad at you because of what happened?" she asked softly.

Chris sighed, "Sometimes I think I disappoint you," he said.

Amelia turned around to look at him, "You don't. And you never did."

"I'm the reason why you had to leave work. And why you have to depend on others to watch the baby when I can't," he said.

Making her way over to the table, Amelia pulled out a chair and sat down. "Sometimes it's nice having a helping hand, Chris. I don't mind having your sister helping out. Or your friends from work," she said.

"Dammit Mia. I can't stand it!" he snapped. "The looks and the sympathy that they give me. I'm a crippled man who can't do a damn thing! Can't play with my son and I can't please my wife,"

Amelia shook her head, "But you can! You make it sound like you'll be stuck in this chair forever! And you will if you keep thinking like that, Chris. You're improving so much and the doctors were taken by surprise when you regained feeling six weeks after you came home," she said.

Chris looked up at her and she sighed, reaching out to place her hand on his cheek. "Whatever the outcome is, I don't care. I love you and I'm not leaving you. You're my husband and the father of my son," she said softly, as tears filled her eyes.

He reached up and laid his hand against hers, "Even if I can't keep it up?" he asked, making her laugh.

"God, what is with you men and sex? I didn't marry you for sex and I don't care if we never have it again," she said, shaking her head.

"Bullshit."

Amelia sighed, "We can find ways around it, Chris. I'm not in any rush to jump your bones."

Chris sighed, "I'm sorry if I made you think that I doubted your feelings," he said.

"I'll just have to remind you everyday then," she said, before standing up.

Leaning over, Amelia kissed him gently. "Do you want me to stop seeing Cora?" he asked, when she pulled away.

Amelia shrugged, "It's up to you. I can't force you to make a choice, but I want you to talk to me. We're in this together, Chris. I can help you with healing and getting through this. Have a little faith in me," she begged.

He nodded, "I will," he promised, before kissing her again.


	7. The Birth of Andrew Thomas Pike

_The Birth of Andrew Thomas Pike_

"Amelia you're doing so good! Just keep breathing."

Amelia Pike wanted to kick the cheerful woman in the face to shut her up. To lift her foot out of the stirrups and deliver the biggest, nose-breaking kick would give her joy. But another contraction stopped her and made her scream, gripping the hand that held hers tightly.

"I'm going to kill you! Chris!" she screeched, before bearing down for another hard push.

The pain was unbearable as parts of her body began to stretch, allowing the child she carried for nine months to make it's way into the world. At least she hoped it was a human child and not a big-headed monster.

"That's just the pain talking, Mia," Chris said, as he tried to loosen her grip on his hand.

She glared at him, "Shut up! You were the one that was all worried about the drugs making the bab-OWWWWW!"

Another push. Wild panting and a deep exhale. She had been going at this for hours now.

"What's taking so long! I want this kid out!" she snapped, as a nurse wiped her sweaty brow with a damp cloth.

"The first birth is always the hardest," she said, as Amelia let out a shaky breath. "It'll get easier once you have another."

Amelia snorted, "Who said we're having more?" she hissed.

The doctor looked up from between her legs, "I can feel the head," she announced.

"Oh goodie!" Amelia snapped, squirming as the doctor groped around her body.

"I need one more big push and hopefully the head will crown and then it'll be over and you'll have your baby," she said.

Amelia laid back against the rumpled pillows and looked up at the fluorescent lights above her. She was exhausted. And the fact that she was drenched in sweat and red in the face, made her feel unattractive around her husband.

"Mia you're almost there," he said, pushing her hair back.

She nodded quickly, "I know," she said, feeling smaller than ever. "It really hurts," she said, as her lips trembled.

"I know baby. I know it hurts and I'm sorry," he said, as her eyes filled with tears. "But it's almost over."

The nurse-Betty- watched them- the older man and his young wife- as they quietly spoke together. She knew that Christopher was someone of great importance, when he rushed into the room hours earlier frantic and dressed in his Starfleet uniform. When he moved out of the room to call their family, Amelia told her that her husband was a Captain in Starfleet.

"_You must be very proud of him," she said, setting the fetal heart monitor around her belly. _

"_I am. He's so good at what he does and I am a very lucky girl," a wide grin plastered on her face. _

"You're so brave and you're doing an amazing job, Mia. I'm so proud of you," Chris said, stroking her forehead.

The doctor peaked up at them, "Mia, on your next contraction I want you to bare down and push really hard, okay?" she asked.

Amelia kept her eyes on Chris and nodded, "Yes," she whimpered.

Betty and Chris helped her up and kept their arms around her, as she held onto both their hands. Chris gave her a kiss on the cheek and didn't wince at all when she gripped his hand tightly.

"One, two, three! Push!"

Amelia pressed her chin into her chest and pushed as hard as she could, as Betty counted to ten next to her. She felt a lot of pressure before the intense pain and tearing of flesh. She screamed as she pushed back into her husband's arm, her head thrown back.

"The head is crowning!" the doctor shouted, as the nurses moved about at the foot of the bed. "Here's another contraction-" the doctor started, as Amelia sat up again. "Go on! Push!"

Another push and more pain, before the announcement that the baby's head was out.

"I can't do anymore!" she sobbed, knowing how silly it sounded.

"Yes you can," Betty said, patting her shoulder. "Come on, honey. One more push and it'll be over!" she said.

"I'm so tired," she moaned, closing her eyes.

Chris gave her a shake, "Amelia, one more push!" he said.

She opened her eyes and sat up slowly, "Okay. One more push," she said to herself, as the contraction came.

Bearing down with all her remaining energy, Amelia pushed as hard as she could. She could feel the baby leaving her body, the release of the pressure. And then she heard the most beautiful sound in the world, besides her husbands' laughter and the sound of the wind blowing between the trees.

The shrill cry of a baby filled the room and she couldn't help but let out a tired laugh.

"It's a boy!" the doctor announced, holding him up for the new parents to see.

Chris beamed as he looked from his son to his wife, "A boy.." he whispered. "Oh Mia," he said, kissing her.

She couldn't help the fresh tears that fell from her eyes. The sudden happiness that filled her body, despite the fact that she was so sore and tired. Her husband gripped her face and kissed her again, as they both shed happy tears.

"Do you want to cut the cord, Daddy?" Betty asked, as she brought the surgical scissors over from the tray.

With a nod, Chris moved from Amelia's side and down to the foot of the bed, taking the scissors from Betty. Amelia watched through tired eyes, as the nurse showed him where to cut. With one snip, her baby boy was finally free from her body and moved to the small counter in the corner.

Chris was back at her side within seconds and holding her hand, as the doctor and nurse moved about to clean and stitch up his wife.

"Eight pounds. Ten ounces. Twenty –one and a half inches long," the nurse read out, as the screaming newborn laid on the cold scale.

"He's a big boy," Chris said, as the nurse cleaned him off and wrapped him in a fresh blanket.

Betty carried him over, smiling down at him. "He's a beautiful boy," she cooed, looking up at them. "And here's your mommy an daddy," she said, carefully laying the squirming baby into Amelia's arms.

As soon as Amelia laid eyes on him, she felt her heart swell with love. All the pain she'd felt and endured was worth it, as she held her baby boy.

"Oh my.." she said softly, as she ran her finger down his chubby arm.

When he gripped onto her finger with his little wrinkly hands, she began to cry again.

"So what are we calling this handsome little boy?" Betty asked, as she moved to grab the card from the table.

Amelia looked up at Chris and smiled, "Go on," she said.

Chris smiled and shook his head, "Andrew," he said, reaching out to touch the baby's nose. "Andrew Thomas Pike."

Betty smiled and wrote the name down, along with the date and time. She then moved to get the cart ready for the trip down to the nursery, allowing the new parents a few more minutes with their baby.

"We need to take him down to the nursery so we can clean you up," the doctor said a few minutes later, taking her seat back at the end of the bed.

Amelia nodded sadly as Andrew gurgled in her arms. "Oh.." she whispered.

"It'll only be an hour or two. We'll clean you up and make you presentable to your family outside," Betty said.

Reluctantly, Amelia handed Andrew over to Betty and watched as she carried him over to the cart. With a promise to return him shortly, Amelia watched as he was wheeled out of the room.

Chris gave her another kiss and started towards the door, "I'll let the others know the news," he said.

"Don't be too long," she said, as he moved to the door.

He smiled back at her, "I won't," he said, before stepping out.

Four hours later, Amelia laid in a new hospital bed watching as Chris held Andrew in his arms. It took a bit longer for the doctor to fix her up, after further examination showed that the baby nearly tore her apart. Now she laid with an icepack rested between her legs, as she dozed in and out of sleep. Shortly after settling into her room, visitors began to arrive. Admirals and friends from the Academy showed up with flowers and balloons. Elizabeth and Robert came by with the girls, whom fell instantly in love with their new cousin. Amelia's sister Brittany came by with flowers and a stuffed bear, and couldn't stop gushing over Andrew. Tomorrow would bring her parents and Chris's parents, and many other visitors. But for now, she enjoyed the silence.

"He's got your eyes," Chris said softly, as Andrew slept in his arms.

Amelia gave him a tired smile, "He's got your nose and your mouth."

Chris sighed, "He's going to be a handful for sure,' he said, making her giggle.

"You mean he's going to be loud and bossy? A wise-ass?"

He shook his head at her and moved from the chair to the bed, sitting down next to her. Amelia shifted into a upright position, wincing at the pain between her legs. Once she was situated and somewhat comfortable, Amelia rested her chin on Chris' shoulder and looked down at her sleeping son.

"He's perfect," she murmured.

Chris nodded, "He is," he responded, before turning to look at her. "So are you."

Amelia looked up at him, "Even after I threatened to kill you?" she asked.

He chuckled, "Even if you threatened to kick me off the planet," he said, before kissing her. "I mean it, Mia. Thank you."

"For what?" she asked.

"For giving me the best gift in the world," he said, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. "For having our baby and giving me the chance to be a father," he said.

Still on an emotional rollercoaster, Amelia felt her eyes tear up at his words. "Then let me thank you for giving him to me. And for making me a mommy."

He kissed her forehead and she gave a content sigh as she rested up against him, They sat quietly for a while, watching as Andrew slept in his father's arms. After a while, Amelia went to sleep and Chris moved back to the chair next to the bed and quietly spoke to Andrew.

"We've waited so long for you to come, Andrew," he said quietly, as the baby dozed. "Mommy and I are so happy that you're here. You and mommy made me the happiest man in the world right now. I love you so much. More than the stars and the planets in the sky," he said, as Andrew gripped his finger.

Chris smiled and traced the little hand with his thumb and took in every feature of his son, enjoying the moment of silence between them.


	8. Family

_Family_

Amelia grew up in a small town outside of Boulder Colorado, with her parents and two siblings. Brittany and Tyler. The Knightley's lived a simple life in a small town, raised with morals and proper manners. Richard Knightley was a doctor with his own practice, working Monday through Friday nine to five. Molly Knightley was a former schoolteacher, who quit before Tyler was born.

As the years went on and the kids got older, things changed. While Tyler was the favorite to take over Richard's practice and Amelia was set to become a star in the dance world, Brittany took the role of the "problem child". As she and Amelia entered their teenage years, things drastically changed between them. Amelia was the ballerina, while Brittany experimented with underage drinking, smoking and promiscuous sex. Amelia had stellar grades while Brittany barely managed to pull a D out of her ass come finals week.

When Tyler announced that he would be switching his major to Anthropology, shit hit the fan. But before Richard and Molly could do anything about it, Tyler packed his bags and left Colorado. Afterwards, Amelia felt the pressure to be the "perfect" child, pushing herself in ballet. But when that ended, she felt like nothing. Her parents constantly told her that they were proud of her, but she found it difficult to believe. It wasn't until after she graduated from college and moved to San Francisco for a job, that she felt free from the pressure. But she could never stop the nagging feeling in her gut, that somehow after all these years and hard word, she failed to make her parents proud.

…..

Christopher grew up in many different places. He was the son of Jason and Tara Pike and the older brother to Elizabeth. His father was into politics and worked for the Federation, later becoming an Admiral. Tara was also a housewife, taking care of her two children, while functioning an active social calendar wherever the family went. Large portions of his teen years were spent at the family ranch in the Mojave Desert, watching over the horses and other animals on the grounds.

College came and went and Chris found himself in Starfleet, while Elizabeth had a chance to escape that life at nineteen. She met Richard and married him, running off to live in Los Angles for the first three years of their marriage. She didn't return to San Francisco until after Chris became Captain of the _Yorktown. _

As the years went by, he became an Uncle- twice at once- and lived like a bachelor. As he got older, his relationship with his parents changed. Jason always had a comment to make; while Tara sat back and kept her mouth shut after all that time. The only time Chris ever spoke to them was on holidays, birthdays and once in a blue moon.

…

When Amelia came into the picture and into his life, Chris welcomed the new addition to his family and the changes it brought. After three months of dating he knew bachelorhood was over and the time to settle down had arrived. Long gone were the days of take out, random hookups and being the third-wheel with his Elizabeth and Richard.

It amazed him at how quickly he accepted the idea of being with Amelia and waking up with her at his side. To grow older with her and possibly start a family with her. Watson, his ever-trustful companion, even grew to like the idea; sleeping between his two human owners in the middle of the night was one major factor that proved so.

His sister fell in love with her automatically and threated bodily harm if he fucked up. Richard adored her and promised to "beat the hell out of Chris", if he ever broke her heart. Their twins drew their lines when it came to Amelia. Arianna adored her immediately and demanded to know when she would visit every time she called. It took Isabella a while to get used to the idea that her Uncle had another woman in his life.

"_Your family loves me," _she said to him one night. "_I wonder why they never liked any of your other girlfriends." _

"_What other girlfriends?" _he asked. "_You're the only girl in my life." _

…..

When they got married, their families met for the first time. Brittany automatically liked Chris, dubbing him "Captain Hot Pants". The nickname left Chris flustered and slightly embarrassed, because Amelia started calling him it as well.

"_Come on Captain Hot Pants, show me what you got!" _

Tyler managed to arrive in town from South Africa to see his baby sister and new husband, deeming him to be a "perfect mate" for her. Amelia swore up and down to beat him silly if he talked in his research voice around him, but hugged him nonetheless and begged him to come visit more often.

Elizabeth enjoyed meeting her sister-in-law's siblings, though she grew worried when Isabella became attached to Brittany and her tattoos and piercings. Arianna picked Tyler as her favorite and asked him many questions about primates and his travels.

But when Richard and Molly Knightley met Jason and Tara Pike, it was quite obvious that their views of the relationship their son and daughter had, were very different. While Richard and Molly were skeptical at how long the marriage would last-given Chris' occupation in Starfleet- they were glad that Amelia had someone to take care of her and start a family with. But Jason and Tara were absolutely against the entire idea of Chris being married, especially to a much younger woman.

Dinner was very awkward, as both families tried to get a general idea of what everyone did for a living. It wasn't until the kids were set with a movie in the basement, that the fight started. Jason suggested an annulment, calling their marriage a sham and "a result of drunken foolishness." Tara didn't say much, which was common, but did believe that Amelia wasn't good enough for her son.

Richard and Molly fought back, claiming that they had no right to talk about Amelia that way. Brittany yelled and cursed at Jason, before Tyler pulled her into the kitchen. Elizabeth shook her head at the entire scene, yelling at her mother for being so weak and letting "Daddy ruin everything!"

Finally Chris stood up from his seat and told his parents how he felt.

"_If you can't except the fact that I'm happy, then I don't want you in my house. You had total control of my life for far to long, Pop. I'm forty-four years old, I think I have the damn right to make my own choices! Amelia is my wife and I married her because I love her and she's good to me, just like I'm good to her. If you can't except that, leave."_

It would be a long time before the Knightley's and Pike's ever got together in the same room.

….

When Andrew Thomas Pike came home from the hospital, a sense of accomplishment ran through Chris' mind. At forty-seven, he was a first time father of a baby boy, and it was exciting and scary all at once. Andrew was the perfect image of his mother and father and a wriggling bundle of joy. All throughout Amelia's pregnancy, Chris made sure the entire house was baby-proofed and even trained Watson with a baby doll that he took from Elizabeth's house.

He wanted everything to be perfect for his child and made sure he read enough books, and asked his sister and Molly all the questions he had. Most of his friends were fathers to two or more children, remembering all the awful details of panic during the first few months of their children's lives. They thought it was hilarious at how serious Chris was about child rearing, telling them that Amelia would be doing most of the work.

"_This isn't the era when women stayed home to take care of their babies alone!" _

As Amelia reached the final stages of her pregnancy, the impending arrival of their baby made him panic. Many nights found him at Boyce's house, expressing his doubts and fears about having a child so late in the game. When Amelia finally confronted him of his awkward behavior, he spilled to her and she giggled.

"_I'm just as worried as you are, Chris. But we've had lots of practice with Isabella and Arianna when they spend time here, and they've made it out alive. We'll have our ups and downs, but we can do this," _she said one morning, as they sat outside in the backyard. "_Besides, it's far to late for you to change your mind. I'd kill you before you got the chance to run."_

The first night at home with Andrew aged Chris faster than he could've ever imagined. He wasn't used to jumping out of bed so quickly at all hours of the night, or having a screaming baby down the hall. As much as he wanted Amelia to get her rest and start her recovery from the difficult delivery, he was always glad to have a helping hand when it was his turn to check on Andrew.

It wasn't until the fourth night of the week; long after Chris gave him his bottle and burped him that he managed to rock him to sleep.

"_This isn't so bad- you and me. We can do this, Andrew. How hard could it be to mess this up?"_

…

After the Narada and Nero, Chris realized how messed up everything became. Succumbed to a wheelchair and hardly any feeling in his legs, Amelia had more than just a baby to take care of. Immediately after he's released from the hospital, Elizabeth and Brittany swoop in and start helping out.

The first few months are difficult, as Amelia juggles a growing baby and a disabled husband. By Thanksgiving, Brittany moves into the guestroom and becomes a temporary nanny to her nephew. Amelia extends her maternity leave at work, to which her boss is understanding and only asks that she keep her updated.

Doctors visits, physical therapy and altering both their home and his office, takes it toll on them. Fights erupt and Amelia promises to kill him if he doesn't shut his mouth, as Brittany slips out of the house with Andrew.

When Molly hears about their latest fight- this one over a difficult session at PT and wanting to be left alone- she calls Amelia and begs her to come home with Andrew.

"_I am so sick and tired of people telling me what I should do! He's my husband and I am not leaving him!" _

_"Amelia look how angry you are! How exhausting it must be to take care of Andrew and of a cripple! We only want what's best for you and the baby!"_

"_You know what? Go fuck yourself, mom! Don't fucking call here again if you're going to criticize my fucking husband!" _

Chris overhears the fight and she catches him by the doorway of the kitchen.

"_I just told my mother to go fuck herself. That is how much you mean to me, Chris. I am willing to cut off contact with the people who think I should leave. You are driving me insane with your attitude and I've had enough of it. Stop being a fucking bitch and suck it up! Life's a goddamn bitch and then you die! I did PT and I turned out fine, so stop your whining, grow some goddamn balls and do it!" _

Afterwards, they never fought about his rehab again.

….

Two years later, Catherine Elizabeth Pike came into the world. She was an unexpected but welcomed surprise, resulting from a long drought between Amelia and Chris. She was dubbed a "Miracle Baby", seven weeks after her conception. All throughout the pregnancy, Amelia would catch Chris grinning like a fool whenever she was in his sight.

"_Look at you and that shit eating grin. You look like the cat that caught the canary, Christopher." _

"_I caught more than the canary, Amelia."_

His co-workers and friends couldn't help but tease them about the conception of their baby girl, and Jim Kirk couldn't help but let his mouth drop when he called their house one night, late into the pregnancy.

"_I see you've been busy, Sir." _

After her birth, Catherine came home to a purple room and consuming love. Her cousins fought for her attention and each claimed that Catherine would love one more than the other. Elizabeth was given the title of godmother, while Brittany gave herself the role of "awesome aunt" and promised to have purple streaks in her hair by the time she hit two.

It was Catherine's birth that brought Tara closer to her son and daughter-in-law. While Jason still remained distant, though throwing his two cents in on how they should raise Andrew, Tara took to her role as Grandmother seriously. She managed to fix the relationships she had with her two children, as well as her grandbabies.

"_I wish I told you sooner, Amelia. I never had any problems with you marrying Christopher, and I can see how happy you've made him. Nothing I say can fix the hurt I've caused you two and to Andrew. But I do hope you can give me a chance and let me be a part of their lives."_

Amelia silenced her with a hug and Tara Pike shed the first set of tears that she'd ever seen from the woman. Christopher was hesitant at first at his mothers visit and figured she would leave first thing in the morning, but when they came down for breakfast and found her cooking at the stove, he knew that her words were true.

"_I love you, Mom." _

"_I love you too, my sweet boy." _

…

On their first night home alone, Amelia and Chris managed to clean most of the house, have a nice dinner and relax in total peace on the couch. The kids were with Elizabeth, Richard and the girls for the night and Brittany was at her own apartment across town. While most parents dreamed of total silence, Amelia and Chris felt awkward without the noise.

"_I can't remember the last time we had total silence like this. No screaming babies, Disney movies or shouting." _

"_I can't remember the last time I saw this carpet. I remember putting it down but after that it gets all hazy."_

By eleven they managed to undress one another, in hopes to get through a quickie, before collapsing into bed. But when they hit the pillows, both realized that neither would get lucky that night.

"_Would you be mad if we just cuddled?" _

"_Tomorrow morning?"_

"_Maybe. As long as you promise no "Miracle babies" become the result of this. I want to wait at least a year or two."_

The lights went out and they snuggle under the blankets and against each other, too exhausted to get dressed. The nights of long, passionate sex are gone for now, but not forgotten. And they're getting older. She's almost thirty-six and Chris is pushing fifty-one, though they hardly look a day over thirty and forty-respectfully. But their ages are slowly catching up to them, and while it scares them both; getting older, they try to push the thought of aging to the back of their minds. For now, on this quiet evening in July, they manage to get through a night of no interruptions. For tomorrow, they would wake up refreshed and ready to take on whatever adventure's that would come their way.


	9. Vacations

_Vacations_

_1._

Ten months into their relationship, Chris and Amelia were so far in love and head over heels for each other. Despite their work schedules- nine hours for her and fluctuating shifts for him- they managed to keep their romance alive with late dinners, evenings at each others homes and weekends shacked up. When Chris realized that they both had the same week off for spring break, he jumped at the idea of taking her away. They both desperately needed it, with midterms coming up for his cadets and state exams for the middle school.

The weather had been dreary for the last couple of weeks, with rain and a bitter chill that enveloped San Francisco. He spent his lunch hour skimming through websites, pulling out different locations that would be much better than what they were living in. He thought about taking her off planet to one of the various exotic worlds that he was fortunate enough to visit, but he pushed the idea off. He wasn't even sure if Amelia would want to leave Earth, despite how interested she was in Chris' work and how his day went.

When Amelia came by his house around six, she was drenched and shivering. The rain was relentless throughout the day, which caused the Academy to cancel their night courses Chris greeted her at the door with a kiss and took her wet coat and overnight bag. She went upstairs to dry off and change, while he tossed her clothes into the dryer. He was in the kitchen finishing dinner when she came back down dressed in her loungewear.

"I see you've stolen my clothes," he said, as she leaned against the counter.

Amelia looked down at the shirt and smiled, "I thought you liked it when I wore your clothes?" she asked.

"I do," he picked up the bottle of wine and grabbed a glass for her. "But I also like them on my bedroom floor."

She snorted and took the glass for him, "Maybe tonight they'll end up on the living room floor!"

His eyebrows rose, "Is that a promise?" he asked, as she took a sip from her glass.

"Lets see how much wine you get into me," she grinned. "I probably wont even make it up the stairs."

He presented the idea a few hours later, both in a post-coital daze on the sofa.

"A vacation?"

He nodded, "I figured since we both have off the same week for spring break," he shifted against the cushions. "We could escape this awful weather and spend seven days alone."

She smiled, "I like how you think," she kissed him. "Where are we going?"

"Depends," he shrugged. "Where do you want to go?"

Amelia thought for a moment, "Somewhere hot," she kissed his shoulder. "And somewhere that we don't have to wear any clothes and do exactly what we're doing now."

He chuckled, "How does Barcelona sound?" he asked, as she kissed his collarbone.

"Hmmm, I'd save that trip for another time," she kissed his jaw. "Too pretty to stay locked up for a week."

"Argentina?"

Amelia rolled over so that she could straddle his hips, "I don't know Spanish," she grinned.

"Hawaii? We could rent a little villa far from the others and do exactly what we are doing now," he said, gripping her hips.

She grinned and leaned down to kiss him, "When do we leave?"

…..

The left two days later on Saturday, reaching the island of Maui by noon. Seven days in a tiny villa on the beach sounded like a dream, as they tumbled into the big and bouncy bed. Thanking their lucky stars that the villa was the furthest away from the others, the couple was able to be as loud as they pleased, spending most of the day in bed. By the time the sun started to set and they woke up from a post-coital nap, they ate and went down to the beach for snorkeling and taking in the beauty of the island.

By the middle of the week, they decided to go out and enjoy what the island had to offer. They saw exotic animals and flowers, plantations from the olden days of Hawaii's history. They did a little shopping and ate at a nice restaurant, watching from the balcony as a birthday party took place below.

"Hmm, what do you think of a coconut bra?" she asked, turning her attention back to him.

"Will you have the grass skirt to go with it?" he asked, knowing that by the time they returned to the villa, coconut bras and grass skirts wouldn't matter.

By the time Saturday rolled around, they were sad to leave. They took their time with packing, since the shuttle didn't leave until early the next morning. Their final day consisted of relaxing on the beach and lazy sex. Both realized that once they returned to a wet and dreary San Francisco, they would be all sexed out for a while. When they boarded the shuttle early the next morning, they quietly said goodbye to the island that spiced up their relationship and slept the entire flight back home. It would be quite sometime before they went on another vacation.

_2._

"You really want to come all the way to Alabama?" Chris asked.

Amelia was perched at the edge of their bed, watching as he moved to and from the closet.

"Why not?" she shrugged, as he folded up a pair of sleep pants. "I can already see how bored you'll be when you're not recruiting potential cadets."

Just six months shy of their two-year anniversary, the last major vacation they took since Hawaii was a weekend trip to Napa for her twenty-eighth birthday. That was over three weeks ago, and already Chris wanted another weekend alone with her. While the trip to Alabama was for Starfleet purposes only, there wasn't much entertainment in the town of Woodland, with a population of 209. Luckily, he was only being sent out for the weekend.

"Fine," he said, watching as she clapped her hands and scrambled to her feet. "But don't say I didn't warn you when you start complaining about how hot it is and how bored you are!"

And sure enough, she did complain about the heat. And how the only interesting thing near the motel consisted of a yarn shop. While Chris and the other recruiters spent the day interviewing hopefuls, Amelia stayed at the motel and ventured out to see what the town had to offer. But with the thick, heavy heat and the smell of cow shit, she stayed inside.

"Don't you even think about opening that window!" she warned the first night they were there.

"Amelia, it's almost a hundred degrees outside!" Chris exclaimed.

"It also smells like shit outside!"

So they suffered through the night, sweating bullets as they stripped from their clothes and laid still. The next morning, after they took showers and dressed for the day, the couple was snappy at one another. The heat had gotten to them real bad, as they went about their day. Chris was utterly bored at work, waiting to interview the very few people that showed up.

By the time Sunday rolled around, both Chris and Amelia were pleased to finally leave the hellhole. They packed their things and headed towards the shuttle port, waiting for the six o'clock shuttle in silence. As Amelia stood by the windows, watching as the shuttles landed and took off, Chris made his way over to her. Wrapping his arm around her waist, he turned his attention to the shuttles.

"Do you want to get married?"

Startled, Amelia turned to look up at him. "What?" she asked frowning.

"Lets get married," he said, smiling softly at her.

Reaching up, Amelia touched his forehead. "Are you feeling alright? Is this a symptom of heat stroke?" she asked, growing worried.

He chuckled and pulled her hand away from his face, "No, no," he shook his head. "I'm serious, Mia. Lets get married."

She stared at him, her lips slightly parted and her eyes wide. "Do you want to get married?" he asked, suddenly worried that his question caught her off guard.

A few seconds later, she smiled and nodded. "Yes," she reached up to kiss him. "I'll marry you."

_3._

Alaska was appealing to the eye, as Amelia opened the curtains to expose the early morning sun. She pressed her hand against the glass and smiled, taking in the mountains in the distance and the endless trails of snow and pine trees. Six hours after arriving via-shuttle, the newlywed was finally getting the chance to see the landscape of Alaska for the first time. It was she who picked out the honeymoon destination, picking it from a bowl of various other options.

"Chris, come look at this!" she said, peering over her shoulder at the bed. "It's beautiful out there."

She heard the bed creak and a groan, as Chris climbed out of bed. Shuffled footsteps against the carpet and a few seconds later, he had his arms around her waist. Kissing the side of her head, Chris rested his chin on the bedraggled curls and looked out the window.

"Look at that," he gasped, as the birds flew over the trees in the distance. "You picked a good one."

She grinned, "I've never seen anything so magical in my life," she shook her head. "Colorado is seriously lacking at their ski resorts."

Amelia then turned around and wrapped her arms around his neck, "So, what do you want to do today? We have a whole week and we can hit all the spots before going home," she smiled.

They had been married for a little over sixteen hours after a three month engagement, and barely made it through the door without tearing each other's clothes off. While they would spend the week doing what most newlyweds did, they also wanted to explore. They had been together for almost three years, and had already experienced a "newlywed" like stage of their relationship. They were a bit older from when they first met- twenty-eight and forty-four- and more mature as their relationship grew.

"How about we eat some breakfast," he pushed her hair away from her face. "And then we can go out and take a walk."

As the week wore on, the couple took their time getting up in the morning, eating breakfast in bed before getting dressed and venturing out to explore the wildlife and nature. They window shopped in the small town that was ten minutes away from their cabin, and absorbed as much of the Alaskan culture as they could. When it was time to leave, they made a promise to return in the near future. Sure enough, two years later, they returned to that exact cabin for Chris' forty-sixth birthday. It was on that vacation that they left with a little more than relaxation, when Amelia found out twelve weeks later that she was pregnant.

_4_

As the years went by, and their family grew, Amelia and Chris found it difficult to get a weekend alone together. Their vacations consisted of staying home from work with their children- Andrew, Catherine and Emma- taking a day trip to Disney with Robert, Elizabeth and the girls. After Narada and the uncertainty of what would happen with Chris during his rehabilitation, vacations were the last thing on their mind. Once he started walking again, and Andrew was old enough to be put into daycare, Amelia went back to work for six months before she learned of her pregnancy with Catherine.

Now, eight years later, Amelia and Chris were desperate for a break. Andrew was nine, hitting that stage when all he wanted to do was hang out with his friends instead of his sisters and parents. Catherine had just turned six and was still in her sweet stage of childhood. But Amelia knew the rebellion stage was drawing near, much to her displeasure. Luckily, Emma was still young enough to carry all the innocence between her siblings. At three, Emma was the ray of sunshine of the three Pike children. She obtained her fathers blonde hair and bluish grey eyes, while inheriting her smile and need to be on her feet at all times. While Chris had a strong sense of pride in all of his children, calling them his great accomplishments in life, Emma was the apple of his eye.

"Do you think they'll be alright?" Amelia asked.

Chris took her hand in his and smiled at her, "They'll be fine," he assured her. "Rob and Liz can handle them and the twins. I know Isabella and Arianna were desperate to get their hands on the girls."

Amelia nodded, "I know. It's just weird not having them around and not having to be needed for everything."

"It's only a week, honey. They'll survive and so will you."

She smiled up at him, resting her palm against his face. At fifty-nine, he was still has handsome as he was the first day she met him. His hair was nearly white now, with a few streaks of grey and he had more stress lines on his face mixed with the laugh lines. But overall, he still looked the same. She changed over the years too, with having three babies and working to take care of the house. At forty-four, Amelia still felt like she was in her twenties. Her body was curvier and she had a few grey streaks in her hair, which was a bit shorter than the usual waist length she wore for so many years. Chris joked that the kids kept her in shape, with the constant running back and forth to get this ones toy or a cup of juice for the other. While their kids tired them out, they were lucky that their age didn't affect their sex life.

"I know," she kissed him. "Now, where are you taking me?"

They moved down the cobblestoned path, the sound of music growing louder and louder as they walked. "We're too old for a club," she said.

Chris chuckled, "Me in a club?" he asked, as they turned the corner. "A street festival? Yes."

Amelia gasped, "Oh baby.." she shook her head. She took in the sights and smells, as the natives of Barcelona crowded the streets. The colors were vibrant, tapestries covering the lampposts and strands of lights hanging everywhere. "This is amazing."

He wrapped his arm around her waist, "Come on," he pulled her forward. "Tonight, we get to act like love struck teens. Minus the hangovers."

She giggled, "And lots of naughty behavior afterwards?" she asked, brushing up against him.

Chris cleared his throat, "Still a minx after all these years," he shook his head.

_Six weeks later._

"CHRIS!"

Chris quickly jumped at the sound of his wife screaming from upstairs, quickly moving Emma off his lap and onto the couch

"Mommy's calling," he said, as she protested. "I'll be right back."

Moving quickly up the stairs, Chris made his way down the hall to their bedroom.

"Mia?" he called out, stepping into the room.

A few seconds later she appeared in the doorway of their bathroom, her eyes wide and her face flushed.

"What's wrong?" he asked, making his way over to her. "Did one of the kids leave something in the bathroom again?"

Amelia shook her head, "Then what happened?" he asked, wrapping his arm around her waist.

She lifted her hand up and Chris looked down, his eyes growing wide. "Is that?" he asked, as she nodded.

"I'm pregnant."

Chris stared at the pink lines on the test, which flashed over and over again. A few seconds later, he looked at her and gave her a small smile.

"Next time we go on vacation," he pushed her hair away from her face. "We're packing enough contraceptives to last us the entire time."

She fell against his chest, wrapping her arms around him tightly. "No more vacations until my uterus shrivels up," she sniffed. "I'm always getting pregnant when we finally go on one."

Chris chuckled, "That's true," he rubbed her back. "But I think the result is always wonderful."

Amelia looked up at him, "Yes," she nodded. "They really are."


	10. Sick

_Sick_

_1._

Amelia groaned and pulled her legs up to her chest, breathing deeply as the pain ripped through her stomach. A cool hand came into contact against her bare shoulder, rubbing her hot skin softly.

"Still hurts?"

"Oh god, "she groaned, burying her head into the leg it rested upon. "Just kill me now. Let me die!"

Chris snorted, "I'm not going to kill you, Mia," earning a partial growl that turned into a whine. "Did you take anything?" he asked.

She shook her head, "I can' t keep anything down."

"Just keep breathing through the pain, " he said, moving to stand up. "I'll go make some tea."

As he disappeared into the kitchen, Amelia laid on the couch gripping her stomach tightly. Gritting her teeth, she panted lightly as the creeping feeling of nausea started up again. With a shuddering gasp, she jumped off the couch and flew down the hall, scrambling into the bathroom and over the toilet.

"Mia!"

Chris was met with the sound of gagging and whimpering, as he quickly moved down the hall to the bathroom. Once he spotted his her kneeling over the toilet, he quickly moved into action. He grabbed a cup by the sink and filled it with water, grabbing a towel and crouching down next to her.

"Drink this slowly," he said, holding the cup next to her mouth. "That's it, easy."

Amelia took one sip before gagging, her head quickly hovering the toilet as the water ended up in with the rest of the contents of her stomach. Chris cursed lightly, as she started to sob.

"It hurts! It hurts!" she cried, coughing and spitting the vile substance from her mouth.

"I'm taking you to the hospital," he said, standing up. "You're burning up and I can't even get any liquid into you."

She didn't protest as he used the house console to dial Starfleet Medical, requesting an immediate appointment with Philip Boyce. Ten minutes later, Amelia was lying in a hospital bed, hooked up to an IV and watching as Chris and his friend spoke quietly at the foot of her bed.

"I'm right here you know," she mumbled, as they both turned to look at her. "Last time I checked, I was the patient."

Philip chuckled, "Chris was just telling me about your symptoms," he said, as she huffed.

"I know my rights."

Chris snorted, "This isn't a holding cell," he moved to her side. "How are you feeling?" he asked, pushing her hair away from her face.

"Like shit," she sighed, closing her eyes as his hand caressed the side of her face.

Philip pulled a chair over and sat down, pulling her file up on the PADD. "When did this start?" he asked, looking up at her.

"I came home Thursday and felt a little funny; nauseous and a really bad headache. Went to be around seven and woke up this morning feeling worse."

Chris nodded, "Had one bite of toast and ended up hugging the toilet for two hours, before taking a short nap. Then I got her to eat some soup, but then she got worse."

Philip nodded, "Amelia, when was your last period?" he asked, tapping away at the PADD.

The teacher and Captain both gasped, eyes wide as they stared at each other. Philip looked up when he didn't receive an answer, his eyes glancing between the two. Amelia shook her head, "Uh, January 12th," she cleared her throat.

Philip nodded as he took the information down, before setting the PADD onto the table. "I'm going take some blood and run a few tests," he moved to grab the needed supplies. "I should know in a few hours what's causing your discomfort."

Chris and Amelia watched in silence as the blood was drawn and placed into test bags, and remained in silence as Philip left the room. Finally, once the shock started to wear off, Chris finally spoke.

"What if you're pregnant?"

Amelia rested her head back against the stiff pillows, "Then this kid is grounded until they're eighteen."

When she didn't hear him laugh, her concern grew. Turning to look at him, she reached out for his hand, which he took quickly. "What would we do?" she asked.

Chris shrugged and the question. They'd been together for almost nine months and she'd recently moved into his place, which caused their close friends and his sister to whisper about a wedding in the future. While they were all caught up in the sudden shift from living apart to together, they never talked about children.

"Do you want kids?" he asked, as she played with the edge of her medical gown.

Amelia shrugged, "I'd like to have one or two," she said quietly, glancing up at him.

Chris nodded, "If you're pregnant we'll get through it," he shrugged. "How bad could it be?"

"Is that your way of saying you want kids?" she asked, frowning slightly.

Moving from the chair up to the bed, Chris wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "Yes. This is my way of saying I want kids."

Two hours later, Philip returned with results. It was the flu, most likely picked up from one of her students. No baby. Once Phil was assured that Amelia could keep some food and a decent amount of liquid down, he signed off her release with a doctor's note for work, antibiotics and Chris' word that he would make sure she got enough rest.

"I don't want to see you back here for this!" he warned, as Chris walked her out of the room.

Once they returned to the house, Amelia was tucked into bed in fresh pajamas and loaded up on the first dose of her medicine. Chris set a bucket next to the bed and turned the ceiling fan on to cool her off.

"I'll be back with tea and I'll join you," he said, kissing her head lightly. "We still need to talk about our baby situation."

She smiled softly, "Good," she nodded. "Because your answer has to be a lot more convincing than that, Chris."

_2._

A wet hacking cough filled the bedroom, followed by a stream of curses, as the Captain pulled the blankets up over his head.

"Come on, Chris," Amelia said softly. "One more and I'll leave you alone."

The blankets moved down and he peeked out at her, watching as she stirred the flavorless broth around with the spoon, making him shudder.

"That should be banned from this world," he said, eyeing the bowl with disgust.

She snorted, "I know, but Phil said you need to eat it," she shifted on the bed. "It's loaded with vitamin boosters."

Chris groaned as he pushed the blankets down, sitting up slowly. He allowed her to spoon-feed him the foul meal, already planning the message he would send to Phil later that evening. Pleased, Amelia set the spoon back onto the tray and stood up, moving to the dresser. She then moved back to the bed and held the blankets up as he snuggled down under them.

"I'll give you this," she said, picking up the hypospray. "And then you can take a nap and if you eat a little bit of dinner, I'll give you ice cream."

Chris snorted before his body was seized with a hacking cough, groaning as his lungs rattled in his chest. Amelia rubbed his back softly, reaching out for the jar of vapo-rub.

"I told you to wear a coat," she shook her head, rubbing the eucalyptus scented cream on his chest and under his nose. "Next time you'll listen to me."

"Yes, Mom," he coughed.

Once the hypospray was administered, Chris was tumbling into unconsciousness.

_3_

The first time Amelia and Chris got sick together, ended up being the best time of their lives. Andrew and Catherine had both gotten over their bought with the strep throat and bronchitis with a week home from school and a run down mother. When Monday morning rolled around, Amelia woke up with a sore throat as two energetic kids ran around the house.

Once the kids were off on the bus to school, Chris woke up with a nasty cough and fever. By eleven, they were both in bed shivering, coughing and groaning in pain.

"They took us down," Amelia groaned, wincing at the pain in her throat. "This is a first."

Chris coughed, "I thought they loved us."

Amelia reached for her now cold tea, taking a quick sip to ease the pain. "Should I call Liz? Have her pick up the kids from school?"

"I say leave them there," he groaned, pulling the blanket up. "They got us into this mess."

When two o'clock rolled around, Chris and Amelia were passed out. Both woke with startled reactions- a cough from him and a groan from her- as their children ran around downstairs. Ten minutes later, Liz was standing in the doorway to their bedroom, chuckling at the sight of them.

"I'll make some tea and bring medicine up," she said, before disappearing.

Once they had medicine in their system and tea in their hands, the couple sat up in bed with the support of many pillows, as they told Liz what the kids could and couldn't eat.

"Make sure they're in bed by eight and that all their homework is done," Chris said, coughing into a tissue.

"Are you sure you're alright with this? You don't have to take them for the week," Amelia said, before taking another sip of tea.

Liz pulled the curtains closed, "It'll be fine! You two need your rest so I can return to over-excited children to their parents on Sunday."

Andrew and Catherine came up a few minutes later, standing in the doorway of their bedroom. Liz stood behind them, watching as they said goodbye and promised to be good and mind their manners.

"We're sorry for making you sick," Andrew said, looking down at his feet.

"It's alright baby," Amelia said. "It was bound to happen someday."

Liz bent down to pick Catherine up, "Alright kiddies! Lets get going!"

"Bye Mommy! Bye Daddy!" Catherine squealed, waving at them.

Chris gave her a weak wave, "Bye Princess," he murmured, covering his mouth to quiet the cough.

When the front door slammed shut, they were left alone in a quiet house for the first time in two years. The spent the first half of the week sleeping on and off, before making their way downstairs to eat and make more tea. They showered and changed the sheets on their bed, before bundling back up after large doses of hypos and watched television. By the time Friday rolled around, they both started feeling better. Chris' cough was less prominent and Amelia's throat wasn't as sore as it was on Monday.

"This is the longest we've been away from the kids since Catherine was born," Chris pointed out that night, as they played a game of cards on their bed.

Amelia chuckled, "What a wonderful vacation," she picked up a car. "Two of us tucked up in bed, unconscious for most of it."

"I'm surprised we haven't killed each other yet," he reached for the mug of tea. "We're both miserable when we're sick. I figured that together we'd rip each other apart."

Pulling her hair up into a bun, Amelia set her handful of cards to the side and laid back against the pillows. "Good thing we didn't," she sighed. "I'd miss you too much."

She then grinned, beckoning him over with her fingers. "Hi," she whispered, as he leaned over her, giggling as he kissed her cheek.

"How about," he kissed her shoulder. "We do our own "medical healing" and go to bed?" he asked.

Amelia bit her lip, trying to suppress the moan that ultimately escaped. "I'd like that a lot," she gasped, as his fingers moved under the hem of her shirt. "I'd really like that."

_4_

"Mommy's tired, Cat."

"No! I wanna play with Mommy!"

Chris sighed as the three year old stomped her foot, crossing her arms at her chest and pouting. Andrew took off running to the living room when his sister started her temper tantrum, leaving Chris alone to deal with it.

"Catherine Elizabeth!" he warned, as she let out a shriek.

"I WANT MOMMY!"

Then the tears started, rolling down her face in fat blobs. He bent down and scooped her up into his arms, kissing her chubby cheeks as she wiggled around.

"She's sleeping, baby."

"Now she's awake."

Chris turned to find Amelia shuffling into the kitchen, yawning as she made her way over to them. "What's wrong, Kitty Cat?"

Catherine leaned forward, holding her arms out and making a grabbing motion with her hands. Amelia took her into her arms and kissed the side of her head, wiping the tears.

"I want to play," she whimpered.

"Okay," Amelia said softly, setting her down on the floor. "Go to the play room and I'll meet you there in a minute."

Catherine took off running, yelling for Andrew to come with her. Once their footsteps could be heard on the staircase, they both let out a sigh.

"You should be sleeping," Chris said, as she stepped closer to him. "Doctors orders."

Amelia laughed against his chest, "When has Phil or Leonard's orders ever stopped me?" she asked, her eyes twinkling. "Or you?"

Chris chuckled, "That's true," he shrugged. "But who knew this would be the result of a week cooped up in bed?"

She looked down as Chris rubbed her ever-expanding belly, the tiny mound stretching outwards. Placing her hand on top of his, they both felt the tiny flutter within, pushing against their joined hands.

"I hope to god I feel better when the third trimester starts," she groaned, resting her head against his shoulder. "I'd like to keep all that food down for once."

"Did you take your vitamins today?" he asked, suddenly remembering how late it was.

She nodded, "I did. All twelve of them," she made a face. "Next time we fool around, we really need to do it safely. I don't think I can do another nine months of this."

He chuckled, "Next time we're sick for a week, we'll sleep in different rooms."

"MOMMY!"

Amelia laughed, "Come on," she took his hand into hers. "Lets get these kids tired out so I can go to bed."


	11. DreamsReality

**Dreams**

It's the first time in four years that Amelia dreamt about her husband dying. Shortly after the Narada and his return home, Amelia would have tiny nightmares that involved her husband being killed in the destruction of the Romulan ship. Sometimes he would die in surgery, as Leonard McCoy tried to remove the bug that latched onto his spinal cord. Sometimes he would die in the hospital on Earth, suffering from a blood clot that had been missed in a scan. Not once did Amelia ever tell Chris about these nightmares, especially since his were worse. He dreamt about torture and dying on a leaky ship, never to see her or Andrew again.

So, when the next set of dreams start re-appearing four years later, just as Chris is set to travel to London for a week, Amelia tries to keep them hidden. Some nights she wakes up with a gasp, glancing over at her husband to see if it woke him up. Some nights it doesn't and on others it does, to which she claims it's from a cramp in her leg or that she felt like she was falling off the bed. He mumbles something about sleeping with the holo-vids on and leans over to kiss her cheek, before falling back into a somewhat peaceful slumber.

On the night before he's due to leave, Amelia has the worst dream. It feels real as all hell, as she walks through the house; Andrew running about and little Catherine sitting in the playpen. Everyone she knows; friends, family and members of Starfleet, are filtering in and out of the den. They all wear black or the standard grey uniform that Starfleet officers and officials wear when someone has fallen.

She can hear the whispers and the sobs. She can see the tears on Chris' mother's face, along with his sister. Jim Kirk is standing by the fireplace with Leonard McCoy, both wearing those damn suits. They spot her and Jim makes his way over to her, stopping to stand before her.

"_Mrs. Pike- Amelia," _he corrects himself. _"I'm so sorry.." _

And she frowns because the last time Kirk apologized to her, was years ago when Chris was discharged from the hospital after Leonard and Boyce looked him over. He made a joke about canes and how beneficial they would be when they got back into the swing of things, suggesting that roleplaying would boost his deflated ego-amongst other things.

"_Admiral Pik- Chris," _he shakes his head. "_Your husband was a great man. I know I caused him a lot of stress and the increase of grey hairs.. but I was grateful for every single thing he did for me."_

Then Leonard's behind him, "_Jim..". _His voice is gruff, rich with emotion, as he glances at her.

"_We'll find the man who did this to him," _Jim promises. _My crew are searching London now and we're going be joining them shortly." _

_London. _

It's then, that Amelia turns to look around at everyone crowded in her den. The black and grey, mixed with whispers and sobs. Then it dawns on her, as she looks down at her own clothing; a black dress that she wore out to a dinner that Chris took her on, shortly after breaking the news to him that she was pregnant with their first child. Chris always liked this dress, the way it hugged her body in all the right places. It's also the same dress in which he fucked her through the mattress later that night, to wound up and excited up to rip it off her.

And now she's standing in their den- hers now- wearing that dress for his funeral. Her husband is dead and it has something to do with London. The killer is still on the loose and Jim- _dammit- _Jim stares at her with those blue eyes, watching as she processes his information.

"_It was so quick, Amelia. The bomb and everything after that," _he shakes his head. "_But I know he was thinking about you and the kids, and how he couldn't wait to go home to see you all."_

Then she's backing away from him, watching, as his face turns from distressed to confused. She quickly turns on her heels and runs to the door, ignoring the shouts of _Amelia _and Andrew and Catherine's cries of _Mommy! Mama!. _Within seconds, she's out the door and tumbling into consciousness.

Of course, her first reaction is to quickly reach out for her husband. But instead, she meets the cold mattress, meaning that he didn't come up to bed yet. Quickly, she kicks the blankets off and tears through the bedroom and hallway, down the stairs and to his office. Amelia finds him sitting behind his desk, wearing his glasses and skimming through a few last minute details on a PADD.

He quickly looks up as she bursts into the office, "Honey?" he sets the PADD down, as she moves forward. "What are you doing up?"

Amelia ignores him as she moves around the desk, to which he pushes his chair back. Within seconds, she's in his arms and on his lap, holding onto him for dear life.

"Baby, baby," he whispers, as she buries her face into his neck. "What's wrong?"

"Don't go to London," she begs, pulling back to look at him. "Please don't go. Don't go."

He frowns, "What? Mia, I have to go," he says, as she grips onto his shoulders. "What happened?"

She whimpers, "Just.. don't go! Call Archer and tell him you can't go."

Chris sighs, "Tell me what's wrong," he shifts underneath her. "Baby, you can't come storming in here, telling me to stay home and then not tell me why."

Amelia looks down at the ratty old shirt he's wearing, the faded text that once read his high schools name and something with a bulldog.

"I had this awful, awful dream," she shakes her head. "Something bad is going to happen in London and you're not going to come home."

"Oh honey," he pushes her hair over her shoulders. "Of course I'm going to come home! The only bad thing that will happen in London, are all the ridiculous meetings I'll have to sit through and the rain."

But she doesn't laugh at his misfortune and starts to cry, "Don't go!" she wails, pressing her face into his shirt. She knows how ridiculous she's being and how childish she looks right now, crying like a baby and clutching onto him for dear life. But she doesn't care, because the dream felt so real and she almost lost him once. That alone is something she doesn't want to experience again, in this life and in the next.

Chris struggles to get up, since Amelia makes no motion to remove herself, and carries her out of his office and up the stairs to their bedroom. It's taken a few practice trials over the last four years for him to even carry her a short distance, let alone to the second floor of their house. But once he has her in bed, tucked under the blankets and in his arms, he silences her with kisses and promises that he'll be fine and that come Friday morning, he'll be back at home with her and the kids.

**Reality**

It's Wednesday and Chris has been gone for three days. Amelia only let him leave after making him swear that he would call when the shuttle landed in London and again when he got to the hotel. Then she made him promise that he'd call before dinner and before bed.

"_Amelia_," he groaned, cradling her face in his hands. "_I will call, write, whatever you want_," he promised.

He kissed her and the kids goodbye, promising to bring them back a gift or ten, because he loves spoiling his wife and kids with trinkets from all the places he's been to. The children also know that Kirk and the others will be with their Daddy, which means extra gifts and pre-recorded messages from them as well. Since they welcomed Andrew and Catherine into the world, the senior officers of the _Enterprise, _adopted the roles of Uncles and Aunt; they still looked up to the man that was their captain for a short time, risking his life to save theirs and Earth. They all love his wife and his two babies, making sure to stop at their house whenever the ship is docked for refits or breaks.

The kids go to daycare, while Amelia does her shopping and chores around the house. She makes the necessary appointments with doctors, play dates and a repairman to come fix the shed; even though Chris insists on doing it himself.

When Thursday rolls around, Amelia wakes up with a strange feeling in her belly. It's a mix of dread, fear and nausea, all wrapped up into a big bundle that makes her jittery and nervous. The kids are home and running about, making a mess with their toys and the furniture. They know they can get away with it because Daddy is away and Mommy can't do the stern voice that her husband has mastered over the years.

It's only nine in the morning when she gets the call on the comm-unit in the kitchen, and the tone is different from every other call that comes through. Amelia notices that the number is from Starfleet HQ, which confuses her, because, they know that her husband is away in London. When she answers the call with trembling hands, she fights the urge to cry when Jim appears before her.

"Amelia," he sighs in relief at the sight of her. "Thank god."

"Where is he?" is the first thing out of her mouth, followed by "What happened?"

A terrorist attack in central London; six bombs going off in three different locations that hold Starfleet officials. One of the bombs had gone off just outside the hotel that Chris is staying at, the other on the forty-second floor.

"The city is on lockdown," Jim tells her, as she stands still, barely listening to a word he says. "I've got my crew scattered about looking for clues.."

"Where's my husband?" she interrupts him.

Jim pauses and for a moment, Amelia see's the worry flash before her his. "Kirk," she warns, pulling her "don't you lie to me," voice, which sends Andrew and Catherine running to Chris.

"I don't know," he shakes his head. "We saw him this morning at a meeting and breakfast. Then he went out saying he wanted to get something for the kids. I haven't heard from him since."

Amelia gasps, "Okay.." she nods. "Okay."

"As soon as I see or hear from him, I will call you," the younger man promises. "Just stay put and try not to panic. Chris is a fighter, Amelia. It's gonna take a lot more than a few bombs to knock him out for good."

They hang up with promises to call on another if they hear from Chris and Amelia is left alone with her thoughts. Andrea and Catherine are giggling from the playroom down the hall, oblivious to the fact that their father is on the other side of the planet- missing. Amelia can't help but think of that awful dream and curses at how hopeless she feels and how Chris is a stubborn pain in the ass; curses him for making her worry all the time now, because the fact that she almost lost him once, will never make it easier to see him jet off for work.

The hours pass, as she takes care of the children and cleans up the messes they made. She finally gets another call around nine her time- two in the morning over in London- as she's putting the rest of the toys away in the playroom. She nearly screams when she sees her husbands face on the other link, and starts to cry.

"You idiot! I told you not to go! "she sobs. "I told you something was going to happen!"

"I'm alright," he tells her, though he looks far from it. "Mia, honey, I'm alright!"

His uniform is a mess, covered in dirt and god knows what, the emotional and physical crisis of this event aging him by ten years.

"What happened?" she gasps, wiping furiously at her eyes. "Jim said a bomb went of both inside _and _outside your hotel!"

He replays the events from his point of view; breakfast and a meeting with Kirk, Spock and McCoy, along with several other people. A quick chat about the ship, the status of New Vulcan and McCoy's daughter, before he heads out to do a little shopping.

"I was three blocks away when the first three bombs went off," he shakes his head. "We don't know who it was or how many people are involved, but it's really bad."

"Come home," she tells him. "Please, just come home."

He nods, "I'm trying, Mia," he tells her. "I want to come home."

They talk for a few more minutes, before he promises to call back later; it's been a long day and he needs to eat something and get a few hours of rest, before the sun comes up. Chris tells her to "give the kids a hug and kiss for me", and tells her that he loves her.

"I love you, too," she sniffles. "Just come home."

….

His shuttle lands in the middle of the night, on Sunday. Amelia doesn't know that he's home, for she's lost in a deep sleep; much needed since she couldn't stop watching the nets about the attack. Kirk and McCoy called her throughout the weekend, keeping her updated on what was going on, as did Chris. The kids were a bundle of energy, demanding to know where their father was.

"He was supposed to come home Fwyday!" Andrew cried, as Amelia carried him into the playroom.

"I know baby," she kisses his cheek. "He'll be here soon."

The kids spend the entire day moving from the windows to their toys and back again, waiting for their father to show up. Finally, she manages to get them into the kitchen for dinner and upstairs for baths and into bed. She passes out after a glass of wine in the bedroom, the alcohol and stress is enough to make her want to sleep for days. She doesn't hear the car pulling up, or the keys rattling in the door. Nor does she hear the footsteps on the staircase, coming down the hall slowly, checking each child to make sure that they're sleeping.

The bed dips and there's a sudden mass of body heat by her side, making her groan because it's so hot outside to begin with. Then the smell of fresh soap and her husband's cologne, the soft press of lips against her cheek, is what wakes her.

"Hmmm?" her eyes open slowly. "Chris?"

"Shh, go back to sleep," he whispers, pulling the sheet up over her.

Chris goes to get up, but Amelia's got her arms and legs wrapped around him in an instant, pulling him down on her. "You're home."

"I'm home," he caresses her face. "I'm home and I'm not leaving again for a long time."


	12. Christmas Shopping Part 1

**Christmas Shopping Part 1 **

Before he met Amelia, Chris hated holiday shopping. The idea of going to the mall to find the perfect gift for his family members, dealing with the crowds and the ridiculous sales, were never his thing. It wasn't that he was a bad gift giver- he excelled at picking out unique gifts for his sister, brother-in-law, nieces and parents. It was the idea of going out and roaming the mall or other shops to find such gifts.

Finally, after learning from one of his office mates about shopping online, Chris would spend hours and hours looking for gifts. Comparing the prices and shipment deliveries from site to site, searching for the most ridiculous stuff he could think of. He could get all his shopping done in one day and the rest of the month would be smooth sailing.

Then he met a lovely young woman, married her and had three kids. Then, Christmas shopping became a nightmare.

….

Their first Christmas was pretty easy, considering the fact that they waited until the last minute to actually celebrate it. Instead of exchanging gifts to one another, Chris and Amelia spent the entire weekend at his place, enjoying each other's company. They went through the entire stock of junk food and liquor, something they stocked up on before Christmas Eve rolled around, watched very little television and had plenty of sex.

"This is probably the best Christmas I've had in years," she said, as they curled up on the sofa. "Just you and me," he kissed her cheek, as she stretched out against him. "No one bothering us."

He hummed in agreement, "Not having to get dressed up," he grinned. "Which we should do more often."

By the time Tuesday rolled around, Chris was back at work, while Amelia caught up on her house chores and paper grading. It would be the last quiet Christmas they'd have together.

….

When Christmas rolled around, six months into their first year of marriage, Amelia decided to host the holiday dinner. Chris laughed at her, telling her that she was crazy and that he'd give her a week before she called his sister and begged to switch. But Amelia, not one to back down from a challenge, started planning. Buying the food was easy, knowing the exact ingredients to make the antipasto or how many bags of coconut flakes were needed to make macaroons.

But to drag her husband to the mall? That was another story. The week after Black Friday, Amelia decided that she wanted to go to the mall to shop for her in-laws and her family. Chris handed her a PADD and told her to do it online.

"No," she handed the PADD back to him. "We're going to the mall."

"But this is easier," he said, nodding to the PADD. "You could find everything in a few hours and be done. No crowds and no fuss!"

She glared at him, "We are going to the mall," she said, her tone meaning business. "You have an hour to get in the shower and dressed.

Chris groaned, "Miaaaaaaaa. I don't want to go to the mall." It was his day off and he had a date with the sofa and a good book. But his wife's intense stare- her eyebrows raised and her lips pressed together in a thin line- told him that those plans were cancelled.

"Fine," he sighed, pushing the chair back. "I'll be ready in thirty minutes."

Amelia beamed at him, "Thank you!" she stood up as well, kissing his cheek quickly.

By the time they reached the mall, Chris had the worst attitude known to man. Parking was a joke, taking a full hour to find any spot to park their car. Then came the stores themselves; the crowds of insane women, noisy children and clueless men, running about finding the perfect gifts. The cloud of mixed perfume was enough to make him go blind AND choke, as Amelia browsed through different items.

"What should we get for Liz?" she asked, stopping so he could catch up with her. "I know the girls wanted some kind of princess thing."

Chris sighed, "I don't know," he shook his head. "I don't care. Just pick something."

Amelia took his hand into hers, "Chris, don't be snappy," she sighed. "Can't you just try to have a little fun?" she pouted.

"Amelia, I hate the mall, "he groaned, as they walked out of the department store. "This would've been so much more easier if you did it from home."

She looked at him for a moment, noting how unhappy he was at that moment. Then, she wrapped her arms around his neck and stood on her toes to kiss him. "What if," she said, after pulling away. "I let you pick something out for yourself?" she bit her lip. "Something that we could both enjoy?"

He frowned, "What do you mean?" he asked, as she laughed.

"Well, It could be something very, very, lacy," she blushed. "Sheer, skimpy, sati-" she squealed as he pulled her into hug. "Please? Just for a few hours, can you at least put a little pep in that step and help?"

Chris sighed dramatically, "Fine," he wrapped his arm around her waist. "But I'm picking out the skimpiest thing I can find and you're going to wear it."

Nothing made Amelia happier, come Christmas day, when their families crowded around the living room, opening their gifts with smiles and squeals. It made Chris smile, as Arianna and Isabella hugged their Aunt tightly. The princess tea set had been a big hit, to which Chris took no credit for.

"Aunt Mia remembered how much you wanted it," he told them, as they climbed up onto his lap to hug and kiss him. "Uncle Chris just paid for it."

Of course, Amelia went back to the mall herself to finish the shopping, but Chris had been helpful in suggesting ideas on what to get. And she held up her end of the bargain, wearing the very skimpy lingerie set the night before, making the entire trip worth it..

"You Mr, Pike, should take credit for picking out half those gifts," she said to him later, as he watched the girls play with the tea set.

He wrapped his arm around her, "But you did go back to the mall and bought more stuff, Mrs. Pike."

She giggled, pressing her face into his shirt. "Next year we'll order everything online," she promised. "But you can pick out skimpy things for me all year round."

….

The quietest Christmas occurred three months after the _Narada _and Andrew's birth. While Amelia planned for an eventful first Christmas for her son, buying him loads of toys and showing him off to the family, Amelia ended up with the decision that their holiday would be small and quiet. She ordered a few things off the net with Chris, sending them out to his Liz, Robert and the girls. Their parents and her siblings got gift certificates to various places they enjoyed and that was it.

"No, I don't want anything," Amelia said, as she took the PADD from him.

Andrew slept quietly in the bassinet against the wall, a common occurrence, since Amelia spent most of her time in the master bedroom with Chris. Physical therapy left him exhausted, his body being pushed to extremes that took its toll on his weakened body. So the three of them napped during the afternoon, until Andrew woke up for a feeding or a diaper change.

"But," he pouted. "I saw something really, really pretty for you."

Amelia shook her head, "No skimpy things this year," she fixed the pillows. "I mean it, Chris. You're not allowed to do any strenuous activity and I refuse to have sex with you after pushing out a bowling ball of a child."

"Well then what do you want?" he asked, frustrated. "I don't want you to not have anything to open on Christmas."

She sighed, settling down next to him. "I already got what I wanted for the holidays," she said, turning to look at him. "I got you and Andrew and that's all I need."

Chris nodded, realizing how close he came to death three months previously. How he was so close to missing his sons first Christmas, and missing out on everything else to come after.

"Okay," he kissed her hand. "I hope you have enough bows then," he grinned. "Can't wrap the injured in paper."

Amelia groaned, "For a second there, I thought you were going to say how big of a gift you were."

Chris snickered, "That too."

"I could hit you right now," she warned, fixing the quilt that rested over his legs. "But you're injured and I don't want to go to jail," she shrugged. "I'm too pretty for jail.'

He snorted, "You're too mean for jail," he corrected her, as she turned the lights off. "Can I wrap you up in a bow?"

She snickered, "If it'll make you happy, I'll bring some ribbon up tomorrow," she promised.

…

As the years went on and more children came into the picture, Amelia and Chris had to juggle with their holiday shopping. With Andrew it was easy, having one child to shop for and not having to worry about him picking something out for his parents. Then Catherine arrived and Chris insisted that he'd take his two babies out so they could pick something out for their mother.

"You did give birth to them after all," he said to her one night, as she tried to understand why he wanted to take a three year old and a six month old to the mall. "I mean, sixteen hours of labor calls for something nice under the tree."

"You are going to be miserable," she warned, as she made up a bottle for Catherine. "They are going to drive you insane!"

Even his sister and brother-in-law said the same thing, when he mentioned that he was taking the kids to the mall that weekend. Robert offered dig a hole in the yard for his body, after the inevitable heart attack.

"You will never want to take them anywhere again after this," he promised. "Trust me, Chris. This is a bad idea."

He laughed off all the warnings from his wife, sister and brother-in-law, and on Saturday morning, he brought the two kids into the mall not knowing what to expect. By the time they came home that afternoon, getting all of Amelia's presents, he put both children down in the playroom and passed out on the sofa.

"Have fun?" she asked, when he woke up hours later. "You look good for someone who spent seven hours in the mall with two children under the age of five."

"Never again," he swore, as she patted his shoulder. "Never, ever, again."

But when Christmas morning rolled around, and the kids handed her a their gift with shy smiles, Chris knew it was worth it. The necklace with two diamond stars, each representing her two children, brought tears to her eyes. She pulled them both onto her lap for a big hug, smothering them with kisses.

"This is so pretty," she said, looking from the necklace to her two children. "You two did a very good job."

And whens he looked up at with a smile, Chris knew he did all right.


	13. Christmas Shopping Part 2

**Christmas Shopping Part 2**

"Okay, what should we get Mommy for Christmas?"

A few years after the chaotic trip to the mall with two children, Chris decided to try again with three children. Amelia had been put on strict bed rest as she went into the second trimester of her fourth pregnancy, this time with twins; putting shopping and leaving the house off limits. So while she ordered everyone else's gifts off the net, Chris decided to take his three children out to pick out something nice for her.

"No Emma," Chris scooped up the youngest of the three children, into his arms. "What do you want to get for Mommy?"

Emma, nearly four now, shrugged. "Doll!"

Chris groaned, as Andrew and Catherine giggled at the mannequins. "What about you two?" he nodded to them. "What do you want to get for your Mother?"

Andrew shrugged, "Mom said she wanted socks," he said, as Catherine nodded in agreement.

"We are not getting your Mother socks," he shook his head. "She gave birth to you three. I think she deserves a lot more than socks."

Catherine bounced on her heels, "Can we get her a fish?" she asked.

Chris groaned, "We'll see," he nodded towards the exit of the department store. "Andrew, hold your sisters hand and stay close please,' he shifted Emma in his arms. "The last thing I need is for you two to get lost in this place."

Four hours later, Andrew and Catherine managed to pick out something nice for Amelia. A pretty sweater from Catherine, who insisted that pink was her favorite color and that the sweater would keep the babies in her belly warm. Andrew settled on a set of aromatherapy candles and bath oils, since Amelia wasn't allowed to shower alone; making baths easier on herself and on Chris' sanity.

"Emma, you need to figure out what you want to get for Mommy," he said, as the little girl's eyes darted around the mall.

"DADDY!" she squealed suddenly, pointing to a store. "GO!"

Chris looked to where she was pointing and tried to suppress the groan, "Emma, I don't think we'll find anything in there."

But Emma pouted, knowing that she could get away with just about anything with that pout. He sighed, "Five minutes," he warned, as Emma smiled. "Then we have to find something for Mommy."

As soon as they stepped foot into the pet store, Andrew and Catherine ran off to look at he fish, while Chris carried Emma around to see the hamsters, bunnies and other animals.

"That's a bunny," he pointed to the open case. "See the floppy ears?"

Emma giggled as the bunnies moved around, "Bunny," she waved to them. "What's dat?" she point to the cages along the back wall.

Chris carried her closer, "Those are kittens," he said, as Emma's eyes caught onto a black and white kitten.

"Daddy! Daddy!" she reached out towards the cage. "Go!"

He carefully moved closer to the cage and Emma peered inside, "Kitty?" she asked, as he nodded.

Suddenly, the tiny kitten made it's way up to the door and sat down, staring at the little girl. Then, it opened its little mouth and let out the tiniest meow, and Emma was sold.

"Want! Want kitty!" she exclaimed, as the kitten rubbed against the door. "Meow!"

"Emma, we're not here to get a kitten," he said, as the kitten meowed at the attention. "We have to get Mommy a present."

But Emma wasn't having any of that, insisting that she wanted the kitten and she wanted it now. "Now! Now!" she shouted, as she wiggled in his arms. "Daddy!"

By then, Catherine and Andrew were bored and ready to leave, reaching their father and younger sibling by the cages.

"Come on, Em," as they started walking away from the kitten. "Time to go."

Emma suddenly burst into tears, "NO! I WANT KITTY!" she screeched, drawing the attention of multiple customers. "KITTY!"

Making sure that Andrew and Catherine were with him, Chris quickly moved out of the pet store and towards the department store that they first came through. Emma screamed and cried as they moved, calling out for the kitten that was too far away to hear her. Once he got them all in the car, Chris was ready to shoot himself with a phaser. His two eldest children sat quietly in their seats, while Emma cried in her booster seat.

"I want kitttyyy!" her cries ranging from sobs to screams, as Chris told her how sorry he was, but that today wasn't about buying stuff for her.

"Emma," he warned, as she pulled her shoes off. "Enough."

"NO! I WANT KITTY!" she cried, tossing her boot down on the floor. "KITTY!"

Andrew groaned, "Emma stop it!

They were close to the house now, and Chris couldn't wait to put the screaming child down for a nap.

"Emma Jane, you are not getting a cat," he said, looking up at her through the rear-view mirror. "Now stop crying."

"NO!" she screeched. "MEAN! MEAN! MEAN!"

Andrew looked over at his father from the front seat, "My gift can be from both Emma and I," he said. "Is that okay, Dad?"

Chris nodded, "If that's what you want to do, son," he managed a quick smile.

The ten year old nodded, "It was a cute kitten," he shrugged. "But Mom never said anything about pets."

…..

By the time they reached the house, Emma's cries turned into whimpers. Once in the house, Chris sent Andrew and Catherine up to their rooms to hide their gifts, while he carried Emma into her own bedroom for a nap. Fifteen minutes later, Chris was lying on his side of the bed, while Amelia ran her fingers through his hair.

"Have fun?" she asked, as he groaned into the pillow. "I take that as a no."

Chris rolled onto his back and told Amelia about the kitten and how Emma threw a temper tantrum in the mall and on the car ride home.

"What did it look like?" she asked. "The kitten?"

He shrugged, "It was a tiny little thing," he sighed. "Black and white with a pink little nose."

When he looked up at her, he recognized the look on her face. "Oh no," he shook his head. "No."

"But!" she started.

"Mia, I told Emma no and I'm telling you no," he sighed. "How the hell are you going to train a tiny kitten while on bed rest?"

She shrugged, "It wont be that hard, Chris!"

He snorted, "We are not getting a kitten," he shook his head. "Absolutely not."

…..

For the next two days, Emma kept asking when they would go back to get the kitten. When Chris had enough, he snapped and told her to stop asking about the kitten because she wasn't getting it. Then he felt bad, when the three and a half year old spent the entire afternoon crying to Amelia.

"I don't care if I'm on mandatory bed-rest," she snapped. "But so help me god, if I get out of this bed, I am going to hurt you so bad, that the wheelchair will be pulled out of storage and you'll be in it for good."

She yelled at him some more, demanding that he go and apologize to their youngest for being an "insensitive asshole." So, when he found Emma curled up under her blankets, Chris knew he screwed up big time. He climbed into the tiny bed next to his daughter and got under the covers with her.

"Em, I'm sorry for yelling at you," he said, as she hid her face in her arms. "But you have to understand that we went to the mall so you could get Mommy a present."

"But Kitty was for Mama," she huffed. "Mama needs fwend."

Chris sighed, "Mama has friends, Em," he looked down at her. "She can't chase a kitten around."

Emma pushed herself up on her elbows, "Why?"

"Because the doctor said she has to stay in bed," he reached out to brush her tangled curls back.

"Why?" she asked again, frowning.

"Because Mama has two babies in her belly," he shifted on the tiny bed. "And she needs all the rest she can get."

Emma nodded, "But kitty be fwend and Mama be happy."

Chris sighed, "We'll see, Em," he pulled her into a hug. "We'll see."

…

"What's wrong with having a pet?" Amelia asked that night, as Chris got ready for bed. "When I was Emma's age, I had _three _cats."

Chris sighed, "You know why," he said, pulling the sheets down on his side of the bed. "You are on mandatory bed-rest until those babies come out and it's a lot of work, that requires constant moving about."

She watched as he settled down on his side of the bed, "You have three kids, Chris," she shook her head. "I think a ten, six and three year old can handle a tiny kitten."

"No, they can't and they won't," he fixed his pillow. "I am not getting that damn kitten, Mia. It'll end up being me that has to take care of it!"

Amelia groaned, "You are being so unreasonable right now," she pulled the blankets off. "I know you're still upset about Watson, but Chris, that was two years ago! A damn kitten isn't going to replace the love you have for Watson. I miss him too, but eventually you're gonna have to move on!"

Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, Amelia started pulling herself out of bed. Chris quickly sat up and tried to stop her, but she moved out of his way.

"What the hell are you doing?!" he shouted, as she stood up. "Get back in bed!"

"I'm going into the guest room," she snapped. "Do not follow me!"

He watched as she slowly shuffled out of their bedroom, one hand out to steady herself against the walls, the other on the small of her back. Knowing that the right thing to do would be to follow her, Chris also knew how short her temper had been as the pregnancy progressed.

"Fuck.." he muttered, falling back against the pillows. "Fuck, fuck, fuck."

…..


	14. Christmas Shopping Part 3

**Christmas Shopping Part 3**

Christmas Eve came and went, as the kids, Chris and Amelia ate a small dinner at the table. Afterwards, Amelia stayed out in the living room for a while with the kids, as they watched a holo-vid and ate Christmas cookies. By nine, Emma was asleep at her side and Catherine was yawning widely.

"Bedtime," Chris clapped his hands gently. "We have a big day tomorrow."

Giving them hugs and kisses, Amelia watched as Chris led the girls upstairs to their rooms, while Andrew grabbed a few candy canes from the coffee table and brought them over to the tree.

"Are you going to bed, Andrew?" she asked, as he set the candy canes on the branches. "You don't want to be the last one down here tomorrow morning."

The boy nodded, "I am," he glanced back at her. "Dad said he was going to call Uncle Jim and I wanted to talk to him."

Amelia nodded, "Okay," she frowned. "But don't stay up too late, kiddo. You need your rest, too."

Andrew made his way over to the couch and sat down next to her, "But you need it more," he said, resting his hand against her belly. "They're kicking," he laughed.

She nodded, "That they are," she placed her hand upon his. "Kicking too much actually."

They were laughing when Chris came back downstairs, making him smile at the sight before him. He watched them for a few more minutes, before making himself known.

"Time for bed, Mrs. Pike," he said as she groaned. "You've been down here for longer than I liked."

Giving Andrew a quick kiss on the head, Amelia held her hands out so Chris could pull her up to her feet. Then they slowly made their way up the stairs, Chris motioning to Andrew towards his office. Once Amelia was tucked into bed with a holo-vid on, Chris made his way back downstairs to help his son.

"Do you think it'll be okay in here?" Andrew asked, an hour later.

Chris nodded, "It'll be fine," he promised. "The heat is on and the door will be locked."

They cleaned up the mess they made and locked the door, making their way up the stairs. "Don't stay up playing your video games, "Chris warned, as Andrew went into his room. "You know Emma will be in here at the crack of dawn."

Andrew laughed and nodded, "Night Dad."

"Night, Andy."

….

Emma managed to wake the entire house at 0600 the next morning, bursting into bedrooms and hopping on beds. When she reached her parents room, Emma climbed up onto Chris' side of the bed and jumped on him.

"UP! UP!" she tapped his forehead. "Cwistmas!"

Amelia groaned and pulled the blanket up over her head, leaving Chris to deal with her. Grabbing the little girl around the waist, Chris sat up and hugged her.

"Give Mommy and Daddy five minutes and we'll go downstairs," he said, kissing her cheek. "Go see if Cat and Andrew are up."

Emma squealed and scrambled off the bed, tearing out of the bedroom like a roadrunner.

"One day," Amelia said from under the blanket. "She's going to give us both heart attacks and put us in our graves early."

Chris snorted, "I'll be the first to go," he said, as she pulled the blanket down. "Merry Christmas."

Amelia gave him a sleepy smile, "Merry Christmas."

They got up slowly, taking their time with going to the bathroom and making themselves presentable. Once they made their way downstairs, they spotted their children waiting for them. Andrew and Catherine sat on the loveseat, while Emma poked around under the tree.

"Emma Jane," Chris warned, as he helped Amelia onto the couch. "Get out from under that tree."

The three and a half year old turned around quickly, "Daddy!" she ran towards him.

"You are always getting into trouble," he grunted, as he picked her up. "Patience my child. You will open your presents in a minute."

Amelia snorted as Emma pouted, "Good morning my sweet children," she said, smiling at them. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas, Mommy," Andrew and Catherine said.

"Cwistmas!" Emma squealed, wrapping her arms around Chris's neck. "Pwesents!"

Setting her down, Chris nodded to the kids. "Go on," he sighed, as they all took off towards the tree.

"One at a time!" Amelia warned, as they picked up the neatly packed boxes. "They're not going anywhere!"

For the next half hour, the kids opened their gifts and handed Chris and Amelia theirs. They sat on the floor and watched and their parents opened boxes and bags, showing their delight over the presents that their children picked out for them.

"You three did such a good job!" Amelia said, as they each gave her a hug and kiss. "Thank you, my little babies."

Chris chuckled, "I can't wait to read all of these," he said, eyeing the set of books on the American Civil War. "Thank you."

He then looked at Andrew, who nodded quickly. "But, we have one more gift."

Catherine and Emma frowned, "We do?" Catherine asked, as Amelia looked at her husband.

"Yup," Chris said, standing up. "Andrew?"

The girls watched as they quickly moved down the hall to his office, slipping inside quickly. Amelia could hear them whispering, as Andrew poked his head out into the hall.

"Close your eyes, Mom!" he shouted, before looking back into the office. "We're coming out now!"

Amelia did what she was told, "You too, girls," Chris said.

A few minutes later, Amelia could hear them approaching, before something soft was placed onto her lap. Then she felt movement and jumped. "Can I open them?" she asked.

Chris chuckled, "Go on," he said. "You too, girls."

As soon as they opened their eyes, Emma screeched. "KITTY!" she screeched, as Catherine held her back

Amelia opened her eyes quickly and looked down at the black and white fur ball on her lap. Around the kitten's neck, was a red and green bow bigger than her head.

"Oh my god," she gasped, picking the small kitten up to look at her. "You didn't!"

Chris shrugged, "I did some thinking and I figured you were right about moving on since Watson," he sighed. "I thought we could give this little girl the same kinda love and attention we gave him."

The kitten meowed and Amelia felt her heart melt, as she brought the kitten close to place a kiss on her head. "She's adorable," she murmured against her head. "Thank you, baby."

She held her arm out and Chris moved in to give her a kiss, "Now," he said, turning to the kids. "Since this is Mommy's present, she gets to name the kitty."

Emma was bouncing on her toes, her hands grasping her nightgown. "Can I touch?" she asked, unsure of what to do. "Pwease?"

Chris nodded and pulled her onto his lap, "Easy Em," he said, as she reached out quickly. "The kitty is a baby and you have to be gentle."

Emma nodded and carefully touched the kitten on the back, giggling as it meowed and arched into the touch. "Pwetty."

"What are you going to name her, Mommy?" Catherine asked, leaning over the arm of the couch to look at the kitten.

Amelia was lightly scratching the kittens back, "I'm not sure," she sighed. "Mommy's gonna have to think about that for a while."

"Dad," Andrew stood up. "Can I put her sandbox together?" he asked.

Chris chuckled, "We can do that," he stood up. "You girls clean up that wrapping paper and your presents away nicely," he said.

"What about breakfast?" Catherine asked, as Emma kissed the kittens head. "Mommy said you were making bacon!"

"I will make breakfast after your brother and I put the kitty's box together," he promised. "Don't worry, I wont let you guys starve."

…..

When Robert, Liz and the girls came around noon, breakfast had been served and everyone went upstairs to wash up and change. More gifts were exchanged and the kids went to play, as Emma sat on the floor with the kitten.

"She's been sitting there for hours," Amelia said from her seat at the table. "I have no idea what she's trying to do."

Liz moved to the stove and dumped the diced peppers into the pan; "Maybe she's trying to get it to play?" she shrugged. "Who knows if the people at the pet store even played with her."

"Kitty pway!" Emma rolled the ball towards the tiny animal. "Pway!"

"Is she still in there?" Chris asked, as he came into the kitchen.

Amelia nodded as she plucked the basil into a bowl, "I have to name that kitten," she shook her head. "Can't keep calling her kitty."

Robert chuckled, "Why not? It's an easy name!"

The doorbell went off, "Because, she needs a good, strong name!" Amelia insisted. "She's a Pike!"

Chris chuckled and dropped a quick kiss on her lips, "That she is," he said. "And that must be your sister and Paul."

"Ah Brittany," Liz sighed. "I wonder what color her hair is this time."

Amelia laughed, "Hush," she waved her hand at her. "I'm hoping it's red and green," she admitted, as the squeal of five children rang out.

Liz rolled her eyes and went to the refrigerator, "Let's hope it's not," she said, pulling out the ingredients for the stuffed shells. "I don't wanna have to go through the reasons why Arianna and Isabella can't color their hair again."

…..

Dinner went off without an issue, as the kids sat at one table and the adults at the other. Most of the conversation varied from work; Starfleet for Richard and Chris to what their wives, Brittany and Paul were up to. Then it went to what the rest of the family that couldn't make it that year and how Amelia was feeling.

"I feel fine for the most part," she sighed, sitting back in the chair. "I just can't wait to get them out."

Brittany giggled, "Any plans for baby number six?" she asked innocently.

Chris snorted, "I think we're done after these two," he said. "I'm getting too old and whatever grey is left will be gone by then."

Amelia nodded in agreement, "We're done after these two," she rubbed her belly. "Even the doctor said no more and that we got very lucky this time; considering the fact that it's twins, we're pushing it here."

"I want another baby…" Liz sighed, making Robert choke on his wine. "What? I do!"

Robert shook his head, "Oh no," he glared at Chris. "See what you did! Now she's going to make it a mission to get pregnant!"

Amelia laughed, "Hey, you guys could make it your New Years Resolution!" she exclaimed, earning a round of laughter.

At that point, Emma came over to the table and tugged on Chris's arm. "What's wrong Emmy girl?" he asked, as he pulled her onto his lap. "Did you finish eating?" he asked.

Emma nodded, "Can I pway with kitty now?" she asked. "Pwease?"

"You don't want to play with the others?" he asked to which Emma shook her head. "What about Arianna and Isabella?"

"No Daddy," she shook her head. "Kitty."

Chris sighed, "Kitty's sleeping, Em," he brushed her hair away from her face. "It's been a long day for the kitty. She needs her rest so she can play with you tomorrow."

Emma pouted, "No pouting," Chris kissed her forehead. "How about you help me clean up the dishes and we'll make hot chocolate? Then we'll put the cookies you made out?"

The little girl thought on the offer for less than five seconds, nodding quickly. "Now?" she asked.

Chris chuckled, "Let's wait five minutes so everyone's done and then we can clean up."

"Okay!" she squealed, as he dropped another kiss to her forehead. "Hwrry!" she said to the others, as she placed her hands on the table.

…..

By seven, the adults and kids were scattered about the house, with cookies and hot chocolate. Brittany and Paul were settled on the loveseat, while Liz and Robert sat with the girls.

"Good Christmas?" Chris asked as he settled next to Amelia on the couch.

She smiled at him, "The best," she nodded, resting her head on his shoulder. "Thank you for my present."

He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, "You're welcome."

"What made you change your mind?" she asked, as he took a sip from his mug. "I mean, you were so adamant on not getting another pet."

Chris set the mug down on his leg, "You were right about Watson," he nodded. "It's been two years since we had to put him down and while I'll always love him, it is time to move on."

"I didn't mean to make you feel bad, Chris," Amelia said. "That wasn't my intention at all."

But he silenced her, "I know, Mia. But you were right."

She nodded, "Wanna help me pick a name for her?" she asked. "You're good a picking out names, since you named all three of our kids."

He chuckled, "Hmm, but it's different when it comes to pets," he said, eyeing the small kitten curled up on Emma's lap.

"Come on, baby," she nudged him. "You're so good at it," she grinned.

Chris kept his eyes on the kitten, which was now rolling around on Emma's lap, making the little girl laugh. "Aphrodite?"

Amelia nodded slowly, "I like that," she said, watching as Emma picked the kitten up to kiss her nose. "She's a beautiful kitten."

"That she is," he murmured as Emma crawled after Aphrodite. "I think Emma's found her calling."

Amelia laughed, "No Starfleet for her," she sighed.

"I still have four more to bribe," he shrugged. "Besides, Andrew is determined to become a Captain. Just to kick Kirk's ass and be just as awesome as his father."

"Are you sure you didn't spike that hot chocolate there?" she asked, nodding to his glass. "Andrew is going to become a scientist and work under McCoy AND Spock."

He chuckled, "We'll see, Mia," he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "Let's worry about them being young for now. I don't want to think about them being older and going off to do their own thing yet."

They fell into a comfortable silence, watching as their children, nieces and in-laws moved about the living room.

"Hey Mia?"

She shifted against him, "Hmm, yeah?" she whispered.

"Merry Christmas," he said softly, reaching up to run his fingers through her hair.

Amelia smiled against his shoulder, "Merry Christmas, baby."


	15. Holiday Parties

**Holiday Parties.**

"We don't have to stay the entire time," Chris promised, as he and Amelia made their way through the building. "We can leave after an hour and go out to dinner."

She giggled, "Chris, it's fine!" she insisted. "I want to meet your friends and see where you work!"

As their second Christmas together neared, Chris and Amelia made many plans for the holiday season. Christmas Eve with her siblings- Brittany and Tyler- then Christmas day with his sister and her family. But now, a week before Christmas, Starfleet's annual holiday party had arrived. Tempted to ignore the invitation that arrived in the mail, Chris tried to throw it out before Amelia came home, only to have her find it hidden under a stack of bills.

"Oooohhhh a party!" her eyes twinkled, as she read the invitation. "Are you going?"

Chris had hesitated, knowing how boring Starfleet parties could be. The stiff upper brass, boasting to one another about their holiday vacations in the Pacific or off planet. Showing off their wives, who wore too much makeup and the ugliest dresses he'd ever seen.

"Do you want to go with me?" he asked her. "I can bring a date you know.

Amelia smiled and Chris could see how genuinely excited she was, "Yes!" she nodded. "I want to go!"

So here they were, three weeks later, heading into the party. Amelia wore a pretty green dress and black heels, tucking her arm through his as they walked. He wore a normal suit, instead of his administrative uniform or gold command shirt that Amelia liked so much.

"IF anyone bothers you, you tell me and I'll deal with them," he warned, as they neared the party. "These are old men who do nothing but complain about one another and how their wives spend all their money."

Amelia snorted, "You're old though, so how does that make you any different?" she teased. "I can handle myself, Chris."

"I know you can, sweetheart," he kissed her quickly. "But it's my boy-friendly duty to say something like that."

"Well, you can start by showing me off to all your old fossils and uppity wives," she smirked. "Show them how an old man like you can catch a pretty thing like me."

Chris chuckled as he wrapped his arm around her waist, "You are too much," he said, shaking his head.

….

Introductions went about, as Chris led Amelia around the room. A few typical comments came from the Admirals, while Boyce, Robert and Archer greeted Amelia with open arms.

"So you're Amelia," Archer smiled. "Chris doesn't shut up about you at all. Always talking about how "Amelia's coming over for dinner so can you do my paperwork for me!"

Chris rolled his eyes as Amelia snickered, "I only asked you once," he said, downplaying the comment.

"Sure you did," Amelia giggled. "But yes, I'm the famous Amelia that Chris can't stop talking about."

Liz came over with drinks, kissing her brother on the cheek and giving Amelia a hug. "I am so glad you're here," she huffed. "I was stuck listening to Komack's wife brag about her shitty little dog."

Chris snorted, "That thing is still alive?" he asked. "I was sure that Archer's old dog destroyed it."

Archer laughed, "I wish," he shook his head.

"Are you hungry?" Robert asked. "They actually catered this time! Some fancy Italian eatery in town that just opened up."

"Don't eat it," Liz shook her head. "You can never trust a new place that nobody's heard about."

Chris rolled his eyes, "How bad could it be, Liz?" he asked, as his sister sipped her drink.

She gave him an innocent smile, "How bad do you want to sit on the toilet all night? I'm sure Amelia has other plans tonight that don't involve you sitting on the toilet crying like a little bitch."

Amelia snorted into her drink, while the others laughed. "You're so funny, Liz," Chris faked his laughter. "I can't wait to spike your eggnog on Christmas so the girls can see you shitfaced."

"Chris!" Amelia scolded him, elbowing his side. "That wasn't nice!"

"What about her?!" he sputtered, pointing to Liz. "She started it!"

Amelia wrapped her arm around Chris' waist and smiled, "If you want to get lucky later, then you'll stop."

Archer whistled, while Boyce and Robert chuckled into their drinks. "I like her," Archer said, pointing to Amelia. "You better keep her, Pike."

…..

Two hours later found Pike searching for his girlfriend, as the party went into full swing. His sister and Robert were busy chatting with one of the instructors in the engineering department, while Archer was busy getting another drink. Chris walked through the crowds, nodding at the greetings and wishing everyone a "Merry Christmas", as he looked for Amelia.

Moving out of the conference room, Chris made his way down the familiar hallway that led to the offices in the back.

"Mia?"

He continued to walk until he reached his own office, spotting a dim light filtering out into the hall. Figuring it was one of the cleaning crew; Chris moved by with a quick glance and stopped. Amelia sat on the dark grey sofa against the wall, her shoes resting on the floor.

"What are you doing in here?" he asked, as she smiled at him. "Party's out there."

"I know," she nodded. "I just wanted to get away for a bit."

Chris stepped into the office and closed the door behind him, moving across the room to her. Sitting down next to her, Amelia shifted from resting against he arm of the couch to resting her head on his shoulder.

"Everything okay?" he asked, as he ran his fingers down her arm.

Amelia nodded, "Yeah," she whispered. "I just couldn't stand listening to these ridiculous vacations these women are whining about."

Chris snorted, "I mean, be happy that you can get away and go somewhere nice for the holidays! Jesus, I don't know how you can stand it!" she said.

"I tend to ignore them," he shrugged. "I only care what my few close friends say and what they're doing anyways."

She sighed, "And I'm hungry," she whined. "I would eat, but your sister whacked my hand when I tried to take this little spinach thingy."

He chuckled, "How about we go and find a place to eat? Then we can go home and spend the entire weekend doing nothing but being bums?"

"Wait," she placed her hand on his chest, moving to sit up. "I want to do something first."

Chris nodded and Amelia smiled, leaning down to kiss him. The small, innocent kiss turned into a passionate one, as Amelia pulled him down with her on the couch.

"What? Here?" he asked, when he finally pulled up for air. "You want to do it here?"

Amelia blushed and nodded, "Yeah," she said softly. "I've been wanting to for a while actually.."

He hesitated for a moment, the idea that anyone could come in and catch them. But Amelia was lying on the couch, underneath him and asking to fulfill one of her wishes

"You need to be extra quiet," he whispered, kissing her. "Or else I wont be able to bring you in here after this."

She smiled, "Okay," she nodded, shifting around on the couch cushions. "I'll be very, very quiet."

…

Twenty minutes later and one successful romp later, the couple fixed up their appearances and made their way out of the office, down the hall and back to the party. Saying their goodbyes, they promised to arrange a get together sometime before Christmas and left.

"So," Chris wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "What are you in the mood for?"

Amelia thought for a moment, "I could go for a nice stack of chocolate chip pancakes."

He snorted, "Pancakes? He asked, as she nodded. "Okay, I think I know a place around here that serves breakfast all day."

…..

_Betty's Astro Diner _served breakfast, lunch and dinner plates all day long. It was the only place near the Academy that did so, and Chris promised Amelia that the food was the best. The waitress set them at a booth in the back and took their orders for coffee and juice, before leaving them to look at the menu.

"Ohh! I want chocolate chip pancakes and a side of bacon!" she said, pointing to the meal on the menu. "Please?" she pouted.

"Yes, yes," he laughed. "You can have your pancakes!"

The waitress returned a few minutes later with their drinks and took their orders, before leaving again.

"I never took you to be a exhibitionist," he smirked, as she took a sip of her juice. "How long have you been wanting to have sex in my office for?"

Amelia blushed, "Since I came by for lunch that first time..a couple of months ago," she shrugged. "If you're not comfortable doing it there, I understand."

Chris reached across the table and took her hand, "I'm fine with it," he nodded. "You caught me off guard though."

She giggled, "Is that good or bad?" she asked.

"Good," he nodded. "Maybe we could try it again?"

Amelia nodded, "Can we try your desk next time?" she asked innocently, as he took a sip of his coffee.

He sputtered, "Don't say stuff like that when I'm drinking," he said, wiping his mouth with a napkin.

Before she could respond, the waitress came back with their plates and set them down on the table.

"Can I get you anything else?" she asked, eyeing them both. "Another juice?"

Amelia nodded, "Please," she said.

The waitress nodded and turned to Chris, "How about you, sir? Another cup of coffee?"

"I'll have juice, too," he nodded, as Amelia rubbed her bare foot against his leg. "Thank you."

When the waitress left, Chris shot her a warning look. "You better cut it out."

"Or what?" she smirked, as her foot moved up to his knee.

Chris reached under the table and grabbed her foot, "I'll take your Christmas present back."

Amelia giggled, "Fineeee," she huffed, picking up her fork. "But when we get home," she shook her head.

He gave her foot a gentle squeeze and let it go, allowing her to move her leg back down and her foot back into the shoe. "You can be as loud as you want.." if offered, as she slathered the pancakes with syrup.

"Oh I plan on it," she said, cutting into the food. "I hope your neighbors don't mind."

Chris chuckled as he shook his head, "Oh god," he sighed. "Thank you for coming with me though."

Amelia smiled, "You're welcome," she nodded. "I like your friends and seeing what you do when you're not home with me. I'm very proud of you and everything that you've done and will do in the years to come."

"I'm proud of you too," he said, as she ate. "Educating the minds of future is a big responsibility."

She smiled, "They can't wait to meet you next week," she picked up the bottle of syrup. "All they can talk about is the Starfleet Captain who's coming to eat cupcakes and make Christmas decorations with them."

"Should I wear my command uniform?" he asked, smirking. "Will you be able to control yourself in front of a twenty, six year old's ?"

Amelia snickered, "I'll be on my best behavior," she promised. "I can tell you right now, our party will be a lot more interesting than the one we went to just now!"


	16. Nail Polish

**Nail Polish**

Chris could always tell when Amelia was painting her nails; the strong, alcoholic stench of the remover and other chemicals used to make up the rainbow display of colors she collected and stashed in his house. Never had he ever dated a woman who changed her nail polish every other day. During his Academy days, girls only wore one color and never changed it until it chipped off; or a clear base across their nail beds.

Number One always wore dark shades of blue and black on her nails, the color shining under the lights on the bridge; tapping against he control panel as she worked diligently during her shifts. His sister, Liz, only had her nails done if she and Robert were going to a party or for special occasions. Two kids and being a housewife, kept her from painting them frequently like she did back in the day.

But Amelia? Whenever he came home from work her nails were a different color; green, blue, red, pink, purple, black. The colors never ended and neither did her collection. He'd find bottles on his dresser, on the bathroom counter next to his razor. Hell, he even found a bottle of silver polish in his office at the Academy. He knew her addiction was a problem, when he found a bottle of glitter in the cabinet next to the spices.

"_Why must you have so much of this shit?" _he would ask her. _"Doesn't it wreck your nails after a while?" _

She would give him a sweet smile; "_You don't like it when I paint them? Not even when I use your favorite color?" _

When they first started dating, the twenty questions game was the first game they'd played together. Long before the sexual aspect of their relationship began, Amelia wanted to know everything about the man who's dog brought them together. When she asked for his favorite color, he smiled and said it was blue. But not just any old blue; it had to be shiny, sapphire blue- one that would shine in the light or under the sun.

On their third date, when he picked Amelia up at her apartment, he was surprised to see her nails covered in the shiniest shade of sapphire blue. When she caught him staring at her fingers, Amelia smiled and leaned over to kiss his cheek.

"_I made sure to buy enough sapphire blue," _she giggled. _"You have an extraordinary taste in color, Mr. Pike."_

…

It was a log morning of meetings and signing documents, much to Chris's displeasure. The heat wave outside didn't help matters, as the cooling system in his office decided crap out on the hottest day of the summer. Calling it an early day, Chris had his secretary forward all the remaining documents to his personal account and reschedule all his meetings for the day.

"_I'm going home, where it's cooler," _he tells the woman behind the oak desk. _"Please call someone from the Engineering department and have them fix it ASAP."_

The drive home was quick, as the car pumped out cold air through the vents. Chris couldn't wait to get into the house and into a cold shower, before laying out on a piece of furniture to cool down. Parking in the driveway, Chris quickly grabbed his things and made a run for the door, unlocking it quickly to get out of the blazing sun. As soon as he stepped into the house, he automatically knew what his girlfriend was up to.

"Mia!" he shut the door behind him, dropping everything on the hall table.

Kicking off his shoes, Chris moved up the stairs quickly and followed the horrid smell down the hall to the bedroom, pushing the door open.

Amelia looked up from her place on the floor and smiled, "Chris!" she lowered the bottle on nail polish onto her out-stretched leg. "What are you doing home so early?"

He looked at her, "What are you doing?" he asked, as she placed the brush back into the bottle. "Didn't you paint your nails last night?"

She shrugged, "I decided that yellow was not a good look for me," she pulled the brush out, wiping the extra polish back into the bottle. "So I decided that this orangey color was better!"

Chris watched as she carefully applied the polish to her toes, the concentration evident on her face as her tongue peeks out between her pink lips. Amelia always fells into a silent zone when it came to doing her nails, sitting in odd places and falling silent as she moved the tiny brush from the bottle to her fingers and toes. The one time Chris made the awful mistake to shake the kitchen table, resulted in no sex for a week and sleeping on the couch for the night.

"This room smells," he muttered, moving to open the window. "Now I have to turn the AC off, just to air it out."

Amelia sighed, "No you don't!" she painted the last toe on her foot. "Just lower it and the smell should be gone in like… fifteen minutes."

Chris pulled his shirt off and tossed it onto the chair, "I'm going in the shower," he mumbled. "Make sure you throw those cotton balls in the trash this time."

"Yes Captain Grumpypants," she muttered, watching as he disappeared into the bathroom.

…

Once he finished taking a cold shower, Chris pulled on a pair of shorts and headed back into the bedroom. The smell of nail polish and acetone had filtered out of the room, though he can still smell it lingering. Amelia's nowhere in sight, though the two bottles are sitting on the table near the wall. Grabbing a PADD off the night table, Chris deemed their bedroom uninhabitable and moved to the guestroom down the hall.

It's where Amelia finds him ten minutes later, lounging across the bed reading.

"Aren't you being a little dramatic?" she asks, crawling up the bed. "I mean, I can barely smell anything in that room."

Chris scowls as she nudges her way next to him, draping one arm and leg across his body. "I can still smell acetone and I don't like breathing that crap in."

Amelia rolls her eyes, "I never go on and on about the things you do," she pointed out. "Like how you put on too much aftershave or when you decide to buy the most disgusting air fresheners for the house and the car."

"French Vanilla is not disgusting," he exclaimed, setting the PADD down. "It's a nice scent!"

"If you like having your house smell like a old folk's home," she snorts. "You just like throwing temper tantrums, just to get me to feel sorry for you and offer sexual favors as proof to how sorry I am."

Chris squeezed her side with his hand, "You offer sexual favors to get out of doing the dishes on your schedule night," he smirked. "Don't act all innocent, Mia."

She groaned, "Then stop being a dramatic queen with the nail polish!"

"Don't do your nails in our bedroom!" he snapped. "Seriously Mia, I can't stand that smell! It stinks up the entire house!"

Amelia rolled away from him, "You're a jerk," she huffed, turning onto her side.

Chris looked up at the ceiling, mentally cursing himself for losing his temper with her. When he glanced over at her, Amelia was quiet and still on her side.

"Mia…" he whispered, rolling over to press against her back. "I'm sorry."

She cleared her throat and reached down to grip his hand, "It's been a long morning with work and it's so goddamn hot outside," he mumbled against her ear. "I didn't mean to snap at you."

"Don't think you're getting off that easy," she said, lacing her fingers between his. "You're still a jerk."

Chris smiled against her cool skin, "And you're still a pain in the ass, but I love you anyway."

She giggled, "Asshole," she huffed.

"Thank you," he mumbled, placing a wet kiss under her ear. "So, what's the name of this color?"

Amelia held up her hand so they could both see the bright orange polish, making her pale skin even whiter. "A good man-darin is hard to find," she giggled.

Chris snorted, "So you're saying it was hard work, finding a good man like me?" he asked, noting how ridiculous the name was. "Why do they give such ridiculous names for these things? What ever happened to "bright orange" or "this color is so bright, I went blind just by staring at it?"

She snorted; "Because no one would buy a bottle of nail polish with such boring names!" she rolled over to face him. "And it was hard work, finding a good man like you. They don't make men like you all the time."

"Oh?" he smirked. "Is that so?"

Amelia nodded, "Surely there's only one man in the entire universe that hates the smell of nail polish but _loooooovess _it when his house smells like a retirement center for the elderly."

He tickled her, "I'm elderly though," he pointed out, even though he'd just turned forty-three a few weeks earlier.

"Could've fooled me," she wrapped her arm around him. "Especially last night and this morning."

"You're a bad influence," he pulled her into his arms. "A very bad influence."

Amelia kissed him, "But you love me anyway," she smiled innocently. "Right?"

Chris shrugged as he settled his hand against her bare hip, "I guess I do," he thought for a moment, as she gasped. "I mean, I let you live here. You sleep in my bed and you eat my food."

She reached out and pinched his stomach, his bare skin warm against her fingertips. "Ow!" he yelped, making her laugh. "Maybe I'll send you to the shed, you vicious animal."

"But my nail polish wont fit in the shed!" she yelped, as he rolled them over.

Chris pinned her down against the mattress, "Oh no!" he mocked in fear. "Whatever shall you do with the hundred little bottles of nail polish that find their way into everything?"

Amelia scowled, "You touch my nail polish and I'll hide all your work PADDs," she threatened. "I'll take great pleasure in watching you cry when you call Barnett to tell him that you've lost all your important files."

"Unlike you," he smirked. "I have a back up system for all my files."

She them flashed him the sweetest smile, "And I know where you hid your emergency credit chip," she shrugged. "Don't be surprised if you see a big charge on your account for all the nail polish _you'll _be repla-AHH! NO!"

Chris snorted as she bucked up against him, his fingers digging into her sides as he tickled her. "STOPPPPPPP!" she screeched, a mix of a sob and giggle breaking from her lips. "I WON'T- UGH FUC- STOP IT!"

He slowed his fingers down, "You won't what?" he asked, innocently.

Amelia glared up at him, her eyes wet with tears and her face flushed. "I wont' take your credit chip to buy nail polish," she huffed, as he nodded. "I'll just charge it to your Starfleet account!"

Chris growled and resumed his tickling spree on her, making her screech and twist underneath him. He didn't stop until she was a shuddering mess, her face wet with tears from the hysterical laughter that escaped her as he worked.

"Y-you s-suck," she gasped, as he kissed her lips, before dropping light pecks against her cheek and up to her temples. " M'tired now," she yawned.

Chris reached for the throw blanket that was bunched up under the legs, and shook it out over them. They shifted around on the mattress, until they were both lying next to one another, their limbs tangled up.

Amelia settled her head against his chest and yawned. "My toes are sapphire," she mumbled against his bare chest. "You're favorite color."

He could feel the smile curving against his skin and wrapped his arm tightly around hers. "Wear it all the time," he said softly. "Okay?"

She nodded, "Okay."


	17. On The Mend

_On The Mend. _

"Mia!" Chris shouted from upstairs. "MIA!"

Amelia cursed as she shifted Andrew from one hip to the other, "Could you just hold him for a minute?" she asked, as Liz set the laundry basket onto the sofa. "I'm going to kill that man if I don't get out of here in the next five minutes!"

Liz laughed, "Give him here," she held her arms out, taking the nine month old from her sister-in-law. "Hello Andy boy! Is your daddy making everyone crazy?"

Taking the stairs quickly, Amelia made her way down the hall to the bedroom and quickly pushed the door open. Chris was sitting up in bed, looking completely frazzled and out of breath.

"Oh my god!" Amelia gasped, making her way towards him. "What's wrong? Are you in pain? Oh shit, are you having a heart attack?!"

Chris shook his head, "Close the door!" he said, waving his hand "Mia! Close the door!"

Rushing back to the door, Amelia quickly closed it like he asked. "Chris, what's going on?" she asked, turning back to him. "I have to leave for my appointment!"

"I'mhard."

She frowned, "What?" she asked, before shaking her head. "Chris, I don't have time for games! I'm going to be late!"

Chris sighed and pulled the pillow away from his lap, making her gasp. "Wha? H-how long have you been like this?" she asked, pointing to his lap.

"Five minutes," he shrugged. "The longest since my two minute adventure three weeks ago."

"So.. jerk off or something!" she shook her head. "I don't have time to stand here and watch you, Chris."

He groaned, "Can't we just have a quickie?" he begged, earning a scoff from her. "Mia baby, please!? Who knows when this will happen again!"

She rolled her eyes, "Oh for crying out loud!" she snapped. "I have to be at the gynecologist in ten minutes and I should've left the house by now! I am not having sex with you!"

Chris pouted, "No!" she shook her head. "I have my period anyways! If we do it, then I'll have to help you into the shower and then I'll have to wash up _again!"_

"So think of something!" he whined. "Mia!"

"You're acting like a baby!" she hissed, as he groaned. "Fine! If I give you a blowjob, will you be happy? Will it be enough to knock you out until I come back?"

Chris nodded enthusiastically and Amelia groaned, crawling up onto the bed. "If I'm late for this appointment, you're going to be in so much trouble," she warned.

"You wont be late," he promised. "I guarantee that you'll be out of here in three minutes and you'll make it to your doctor friend."

…..

The front door opened two hours later, as Amelia stepped into the house with three grocery bags in her arms.

"I'm home!" she shouted, kicking the door shut behind her with her foot. "Liz?"

The blonde smiled as she came out of the kitchen, "I just took Andy upstairs for a nap," she said, taking two bags from her. "I was about to put the dishes into the washer."

"Thank you," Amelia sighed, following her into the kitchen. "What's my husband doing?"

Liz set the bags down on the counter and started unloading him, "He's been out cold since you left," she snorted. "I can only _imagine _what made him so sleepy."

The brunette blushed, making Liz giggle. "Oh don't be shy," she shook her head. "I heard him moaning from the laundry room!"

"He picks the worst times to get into the mood," Amelia shook her head. "He's been getting you know…the plumbing is starting to kick in again and he's desperate to relieve some sort of tension."

"I'll bet!" Liz grinned. "Must've been a good stress reliever! I bet your neighbors heard him."

Amelia snorted, "I didn't have sex with him," she said, shoving the frozen vegetables and ice cream into the freezer.

"Did you get the all clear from the Doc?" Liz asked, as she tossed the bags into the recycler. "I remember you telling me the other day that this was the appointment to see how everything healed up after the disaster Andrew created."

"I'm good to go!" Amelia nodded. "But now it's up to Chris and his… temperamental plumbing system."

Liz snorted, "Is that why you bought," she pulled three small boxes out of the last shopping bag. "Three boxes of condoms?"

Amelia blushed and snatched the boxes from her, "Don't tease," she pouted. "I just want to be prepared is all. We're certainly not ready for another baby, especially since it took another nine months to recover from the first one."

"Ah, give it a few days," Liz shrugged. "I'm sure Chris will be hollering about his plumbing and you'll be back in the swing of things."

"God help me," Amelia muttered. "I guess I'll go wake him up and see if he's ready for lunch."

Liz grabbed her bag off the back of the chair, "Oh, he'll be hungry alright," she snickered, earning a scowl from the woman. "I'll call you later!"

…..

Once Liz left, Amelia made her way upstairs to the master bedroom to find her husband out cold under the comforter. Moving around the bed, Amelia sat down on the edge of the mattress and lightly shook him awake.

"Chris?" she whispered, as he groaned. "Honey? Time to wake up. Come on now, Chris."

He groaned, "Mia?"

She smiled, "Guess you were right, huh?" she asked, as he opened his eyes. "Knocked you out real good, didn't I?"

He groaned again, "You have a wicked mouth," he mumbled, pressing his face into the pillow. "How'd your appointment go?"

"Good," she sighed, kicking off her shoes. "Doctor gave me the all clear and said the OBGYN did a wonderful job on stitching my ass together."

Chris snorted, "That's good," he yawned.

"Do you want me to make you some lunch? I stopped at the store and picked up a few things," she said, while rubbing his arm.

"Sandwich?"

Amelia nodded, "I can put that together for you," she said. "Then I'll help you into the shower so that I can change the sheets."

"But we didn't dirty them that much," he grinned, giving her a lazy wink.

"No, but we've been laying on them for the last three weeks," she shook her head. "You know how I get when we go a week without changing the sheets."

Chris huffed, "Fine," he shook his head. "Can we have lunch now? Before I pass out again."

Amelia snickered, "Jesus, was it really that good?" she asked.

"You have no idea," Chris groaned, as he slowly rolled onto his stomach. "No idea at all."

She leaned across the bed and settled her chin on his shoulder, "Just wait until you can last more than five minutes," she whispered into his ear. "Lets just hope you have better timing with that adventure."

Chris snickered, "I'll try my best," he promised, as she stood up.

"I'll go make your lunch and we'll get you in that shower," she sighed, fixing the comforter. "If you need to sleep some more, go ahead."

"I will," he mumbled, closing his eyes again.

Amelia shook her head with a smile, making her way back around the bed and out into the hallway. After nine months of rigorous physical therapy sessions, weekly visits to a shrink and slowly rebuilding the life he had before the attack on Vulcan, Chris was making progress in every area of his designated recovery plan. Amelia couldn't have been more proud, when he managed to take a few shuffled steps around the hallway of Starfleet General.

Stepping into the kitchen and making her away over to the refrigerator, Amelia smiled to herself as she pulled the necessary ingredients for lunch. Her husband was on the mend, slowly but surely coming back to her in all the ways she remembered him before shit hit the fan. And for the first time in a long time, after their little intimate session earlier in the day, she couldn't wait to see what was in store for them.


	18. Babysitting

_Babysitting._

Amelia cursed to herself as she pulled the tray of chicken tenders and french fries out of the oven, as Arianna and Isabella played outside on the deck.

"God, why me," she mumbled, setting up the two plates for the twins. "I'm going to kill you, Chris."

After promising to watch the girls for the weekend so Liz and Robert could take a short trip out to Napa, Chris and Amelia promised to take the girls to the zoo during their first day at the house. Instead, as the comm unit went off at five-thirty, Chris was up and dressed in his uniform and heading out the door for an emergency meeting.

"Mia! Mia!" Arianna squealed from the back door. "Can I help?"

Amelia looked at the six year old and smiled, "I'm just about done!" she said, moving towards the door with the plates. "Get your sister and settle at the table!"

Arianna dashed back outside, screeching to her twin that lunch was ready, as Amelia came out to set the plates down.

"What's this?" Isabella asked, glaring at the food before her.

"Chicken tenders in the shape of stars and french fries," Amelia said, as she helped Arianna with the bottle of ketchup. "Your Uncle Chris picked them out and said you two like them."

"Thank you, Mia!" Arianna smiled, as she slathered one of the tenders in the puddle of ketchup.

Isabella huffed, "I don't want these," she whined, crossing her arms against her chest. "I want pizza."

Amelia suppressed the groan that was dying to be let out, "I'll pop one in the oven," she said, moving to go back inside.

As she pulled the mini pizza out of the freezer, Amelia heard Arianna whispering to her sister as she ate. "Why are you being mean, Bella? Mia's nice and Uncle Chris will be mad if you make her sad."

Setting the pizza on a tray and into the oven, Amelia leaned against the counter and sighed, praying that her boyfriend would return as soon as possible.

…

After lunch came playtime, which consisted of the girls running around in the yard with bubbles. Taking a seat in one of the lounge chairs, Amelia kept her eyes on the twins and they ran around trees and hid behind the shed, which Chris really needed to paint; not a single care in the fact that the neighbors behind them were first time parents to a six week old little boy, who was most likely trying to take a nap.

"Girls!" she yelled. "Keep it down a bit, please!"

Arianna quickly apologize and went back to blowing bubbles, while Isabella scowled at the woman. It was clear that out of the two, Isabella wasn't too pleased with the woman that took her Uncle's attention. Arianna adored the woman, bringing pictures that she drew during art hour at school, and flowers that she took from Liz's flower garden.

For the entire first year of their relationship, Amelia tried her hardest to get Isabella to like her, bringing cupcakes and little art kits whenever they went over to Liz and Robert's for Sunday dinners. She took extra care in picking out their birthday and Christmas gifts, to which only Arianna expressed pure joy, as she ripped the wrapping paper off the boxes.

"_I just don't know what else to do, Chris! She just doesn't like me and I'm trying so hard, because I don't want her to hate me for taking you away!" _

"Mia! Can I watch a holo-vid?" Arianna asked, coming up to the back porch. "It's too hot to play now."

"Sure you can!" Amelia smiled, moving to get up. "Let's go wash up and we'll find a vid for you! Isabella! Are you ready to come in?"

The child ignored her, as she sat under one of the willow trees, pulling at the grass. Amelia sighed and scooped Arianna up into her arms, and placed a kiss on her cheek.

"We'll come back for her after," she nodded, moving into the house. "For now, let's get you cleaned up my garden princess!"

….

By the time Chris stepped into the house, a little after eight-thirty, he was met with dead silence. It was odd to him, since his six year old nieces were spending the weekend with him and Amelia; both were bound to run about and cause mischief, since being free from their parents for the weekend.

"Mia?" he called out, setting his keys down on the hall table. "I'm home."

Toeing off his boots, Chris padded through the front hall of the house, peeking into the living room and dining room, before moving down the hall to the den.

"Mia? Girls?"

The holo-screen was on mute, as the nightly news flashed across the screen. Toys were scattered about on the floor, along with shoes and other items that he couldn't identify. Absent were two six year olds, as they left their wrath behind as proof that they did indeed exist in the house.

On the sofa, Amelia was sprawled out on her back, her feet hanging over the arm with the pillows knocked to the floor. Turning the holo-screen off, Chris lightly kicked the pillows out of the way, and stood over the sofa.

"Hon," he lightly shook her shoulder. "Let's get you in bed."

Amelia groaned, "Chris?" she yawned, before opening her eyes. "Did you just get in?"

He nodded, "Meeting ran late," he sighed, as she shifted on the sofa. "Didn't plan on spending the entire day there."

" S'okay," she mumbled, pulling him down by the hand. "C'mere."

Stretching out against her, Chris wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her on top of him. "I see the girls had fun."

"Arianna had fun," she corrected him. "Isabella on the other hand… not so much. She hates me, Chris. No matter what I do, she's not happy to see me."

Chris sighed, "She's just trying to get used to the idea that a big chunk of my attention is on you," he kissed her cheek. "Maybe I'll take her with my to work one day and have her fawn over the boys at the Academy."

She snorted, "Liz would just _love _that," she shook her head. "She wouldn't eat the chicken tenders that you picked out or come in to watch the holo-vid that Arianna picked out. Then she freaked out when I declared it bath time and ended up getting into a fight with Arianna."

"Your day sounds like it was harder than mine," Chris shook his head. "I'm sorry, honey."

"It's okay," she sighed, resting her chin on his chest. "But I will tie you up if you try to leave for any meetings for the rest of the weekend. You're nieces are here and you did promise to take them to the zoo."

"That I did," he sighed. "Even though this room looks like a pig pen at the moment."

Amelia wiggled her leg between his and yawned, "I'll clean it tomorrow," she mumbled. "We should get up and get ready for bed. I have to move Arianna out of our room and into the guestroom."

Chris frowned, "Why is she in our bed?" he asked.

"It was the only way I could stop the blood shed between them," she whined. "There was hair pulling, name calling, kicking and hitting. They don't mess around when it comes to physical abuse."

"Look who their parents are," he sighed. "Let's wait five minutes before getting up. I've been sitting in the most uncomfortable chair all day and I just need to relax for a moment."

She nodded, "Five minutes and then we move," she slurred. "You'll wake up crying with a stiff back and I'll never hear the end of it."

Chris hummed in agreement, closing his eyes as he settled down for the evening. Amelia was halfway to dreamland, when she was startled into consciousness, as Chris spoke.

"Why is there green play dough on the ceiling?" he asked.

"Oh god," she whined, burying her face into the crook of his neck. "I don't even know and I really don't want to know."

He shook his head, "My sister is going to get the lecture of a lifetime," he grumbled. "These two need warning labels on them and a list of items that need to be banned from their travel bags."


End file.
